


How to Get Kidnapped: a Guide by Jeremy Knox

by this_little_lighthouse



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, Guard AU, I apologize for the semi disaster that this is, Kevin day/Aaron minyard/Seth Gordon - Freeform, Knight AU, M/M, Multi, POV Alternating, Riko POV, Riko redemption arch, Rikos really not as big of a deal as these tags make him sound, Sort Of, aftg reverse big bang 2021, bit if you’d like to pretend that he does that’s fine with me, but also not really, but there’s potential for a hopeful ending for him?, he’s still a complete asshole, hope you enjoy your stay, idk he doesn’t die, it is mostly jerejean I promise, the foxes are basically robin hood, theyre vigilantes, this is supposed to be jerejean but I kind of got distracted by a lot of other things, welcome to my crack ship, whoopsies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29788323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/this_little_lighthouse/pseuds/this_little_lighthouse
Summary: Whatever imbecile came up with the idea of the monarchy deserves to burn in hell. Jean is decidedly sick and tired of the whole thing. After standing through yet another boring, tedious, tactical meeting with Prince Riko and his uncle Tetsuji, the commander of the royal army typically referred to as “the General”, either out of fear or respect, Jean can’t be sure, Jean is just so bone achingly tired. Riko had argued yet again to be given command of a battalion, and Tetsuji shut him down, yet again.Or, the one where Riko is a prince, Jean is his guard, Jeremy is a prince, and the foxes are vigilante criminals that stage a little *kidnapping*
Relationships: Alvarez/Laila Dermott, Jeremy Knox/Jean Moreau, Kevin Day/Aaron Minyard/Seth Gordon, Matt Boyd/Danielle "Dan" Wilds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 70
Kudos: 29
Collections: AFTG Reverse Big Bang 2021





	1. Jean

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lauravg_20](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lauravg_20/gifts).



> So here we go! First chapter! Yay! First of all I’d like to thank my amazing, stupendous, extremely talented artist lauravg_20 who I love. Laura, thank you for putting up with me and my inability to respond to messages in a timely manner and for providing me with such a fun prompt to work with. I really fell in love with this au! Just a little disclaimer before we get started, Riko is kind of a main character in this and he has several chapters in his pov. I also kind of really feel sorry for him in this? Like, he’s still a shorty person so feel free to hate him, but it’s just a different side of him I guess.  
> ANYWAYS, I had a very long time to work on this, and yet I wrote like half of it literally the week it was due lol. Also it’s like double my expected word count, so please enjoy all of my extra crack words. (Stay tuned, there will be more tags to come 👀)

Whatever imbecile came up with the idea of the _monarchy_ deserves to burn in hell. Jean is decidedly sick and tired of the whole thing. After standing through yet another boring, tedious, tactical meeting with Prince Riko and his uncle Tetsuji, the commander of the royal army typically referred to as “the General”, either out of fear or respect, Jean can’t be sure, Jean is just so bone achingly _tired._ Riko had argued yet again to be given command of a battalion, and Tetsuji shut him down, yet again.

Being a personal knight for Riko at this time doesn’t mean much. Mostly, he is just shuffled from meeting to meeting, hidden in the background or off to the side, watching, always watching, because as much as he hates Riko and wishes he could orchestrate his murder himself, he knew things will only be worse for him if he let even an unwanted hand touch the Moriyama’s second son. Riko may be an outcast and the family disappointment, but he is still _theirs_ and they are the only ones allowed to hurt one of their own. It is all very disgustingly possessive. 

Jean would know, because he is Riko’s. Not just sworn to him as a knight, but owned. Riko can do whatever he wants to Jean, and there is nothing Jean can do about it. Ichirou and Tetsuji have Riko, and Riko has Jean. He used to have Kevin too, but he is gone now. Jean feels his stomach pull uncomfortably whenever he thinks about his best friend, his _only_ friend, killed by the hand of the man they had been sworn to protect. Of course, Riko had taken that out on Jean too. And then cupped his face and muttered meaningless, soothing words as Jean cried. Sometimes, Jean wonders if Kevin had gotten lucky. If death really is the only way to escape. 

They used to talk about it sometimes. Escaping. It is pointless to even think about now that Jean was alone. It was pointless to think about when Kevin had still been there too, but they knew that and they did it anyway. Jean doesn’t think of escaping anymore. He has resigned himself to living the rest of his miserable life trapped in hell, thinking about not thinking about the one person who had made it all just a little more bearable. 

Riko mutters darkly to himself as they make their way back to the Nest, the barracks where Riko and the other special force soldiers known as the Ravens live, Jean always trailing two steps behind. He pauses in the doorway to Riko’s room, hoping to be dismissed for the night. But of course, he could never be that lucky, and Riko gestures for Jean to follow him. 

There is a burning darkness behind Riko’s eyes that Jean always has a difficult time deciphering. He moves closer into Riko’s space at his beckinging hand, unsure whether to brace for pleasure or pain. Jean honestly isn’t sure which is worse. 

“Kiss me,” Riko demands, strong, callused fingers digging into Jean’s chin, pulling him down. Pleasure, then. At least for now. What starts with kisses can very easily transition to knives in a heartbeat.

But Jean leans in and pressed his lips to Riko’s, and Riko pushes back, fierce, possessive, demanding, every bit the prince he is, and Jean hates himself a little bit more for enjoying this. For wanting it. For _craving_ it sometimes. Hates that he wants to do all the right things, so he can keep this for a little longer. Wants to keep Riko happy and lay in Riko’s bed while Riko leans over him and tells Jean how pretty he is. 

Because no one else says anything like that. No one else ever treats Jean like that, like he might be worth something more than the dirt beneath their feet. Jean knows that this wasn’t healthy. He knows that Riko is possessive and manipulative and abusive and cruel, but Jean is lonely, and so, in a way, is Riko. They really only have each other. Sometimes, Jean feels like they are almost the same. Almost equal. Until, that is, he remembers that Riko essentially owns him. That, of course, makes things a little more uneven. 

But as much as Jean hates Riko, loathes his very existence with a burning passion, Jean sometimes almost loves him. Riko is all that Jean has now that Kevin is gone, and on days like this, when Riko is gentle with him, Jean can’t help but love him a little. When Riko pushes him down onto the bed, quick possessive hands roaming over his body, Jean’s stomach turns turned, butterflies of pleasure not nearly enough to cover the shadows of past pains, inflicted by the same gentle hands that ghosted over the scars they have left. 

“Stop,” he whispers, pushing Riko’s hands out from under his shirt.

“Jean,” Riko nips at his ear. “Do you really want that? Do you want someone else to keep you company tonight?” When Jean gives no response, Riko continues with a smirk. “That’s what I thought. Stay here. With me. Please?”

Jean hates him a little more for making it a question. For making Jean say yes. For making it seem like his choice. 

“Of course,” Jean mutters, forcing his body to relax into Riko’s, trying to ignore the small part of him that is happy about his current situation. Riko curls a possessive arm around Jean’s waist and pulls him back into bed, Jean’s back flush with Riko’s chest. Jean shoves down the electricity that sparks through his veins when Riko’s leg brushes his own under the covers, pushing out the claustrophobia from Riko’s pinning arm along with. Instead, Jean tries to imagine himself somewhere, _anywhere_ , else, far far away from the Moriyama’s and the shadow of Kevin’s ghost. Somewhere peaceful. Somewhere quite. Somewhere warm and bright. It is pointless and in the end, it is just painful, and Jean has more trouble trying to imagine himself in any other situation than he does simply enduring the life that he has. Needless to say, the sweet release of sleep takes a long time to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhhhh there you go, first one down, nineteen more to go! Please let me know what you thought, leave comments, yell at me, whatever man I’m always happy for feedback. As always, thanks for reading lovelies, if you wanna come talk to me on my tumblr this-little-lighthouse I’m always happy to chat!!


	2. Riko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends, have another chapter :). It’s a pretty short one, apologies. Also I forgot to mention earlier, this will be completely posted by the 8th. The art will be embedded in the chapters where it fits!

To say this has been a bad day for Riko would be an understatement. Not that it has really been any different than any other day. It’s just his life. 

His meeting with Tetsuji went about as well as he had expected, which is to say not well at all. They had talked strategy first, as always. Moving pieces on the board, willing to sacrifice a group of men for the greater good without a second though. When he looks at the figures set up on the model, Riko can almost forget what they really represent. He gets so lost in the planning, the strategizing, the desire to win, he forgets that his decisions affect real people. But it's better this way, he thinks. Better to not let empathy and pointless emotions get in the way of logic and reason. Sometimes pieces have to be sacrificed in order to win the war.

Riko is good at games. He’s good at strategy and seeing the bigger picture and anticipating his opponents moves. He’s good at winning. Which of course, makes him an invaluable asset to the General’s cabinet. 

The problem is, Riko is ready for more. He’s more than ready, he’s desperate. There’s an innate part of him that longs to be a part of the battle, not just controlling the troops from the sidelines but fighting alongside them, proving his worth on the battlefield. The comforting weight of a sword in his hand and armor against his skin and his horse steady beneath him. 

Riko is so tired of being forced to work from behind the scenes. He wants to be on the front lines, putting his own plans into action. To feel the thrill of the fight, the heady, too real possibility that every breath could be his last. But it wouldn’t. Not when he’s the best soldier they have. Tesuji and Riko both know it, and so does everyone else. Riko is the best, no question. Not now that Kevin’s gone. 

It’s just foolish to hide their best soldier behind charts and maps. He could be making a real difference on the battlefield. He knows he could. If only he could convince Tetsuji to give him command of a battalion, he could prove his worth or The Family, fight to defend their land, their honor. But Tesuji said “no” before Riko could even really present his argument, just like he always did. Something about him being more valuable to The Family alive and out of the way than dead in a ditch somewhere. As if he doesn’t know how to hold his own in a fight.

So now Riko is stuck back where he always starts, trapped in The Nest, surrounded by their kingdoms most elite warriors and not allowed to put their skills to use. Sometimes, Riko despises the monarchy that made him. 

Jean sighs slightly under his arm and Riko tightens his grip unconsciously, pulling Jean’s body closer to his. Riko doesn’t always want this, this closeness. Sometimes the feeling of another body pressed up against his makes his skin crawl and his body recoil. Sometimes the desire for a fight, for blood, takes up more room in his mind and it’s all he can do to not go too far, push too hard, cut too deep. Sometimes Jean’s crying is enough to snap him out of his craze, sometimes it just eggs him on. But other times, like tonight, he likes to pretend that what he and Jean have is normal, that they’re just two boys who both want to be where they are, not trapped and broken beyond comparison. 

Riko runs an absentminded hand over Jean’s chest, fingers ghosting over rippling ridges and bumpy mountains of ruined skin caused by his own hand.  _ Mine, _ his touch whispers.  _ Mine, mine, mine. _ His to hurt, his to comfort, his to heal and touch and bruise. 

And now, his to hold, his to use to block out the rest of the world. If Riko is a sword Jean is a shield, whether it was voluntarily or not. Riko uses Jean to keep the rest of the world a safe distance away. But sometimes, Riko can't control where his sharp edges point and Jean is just another body, another obstacle in Riko’s way, the only one that he can have complete power over. And the one thing Jean never learned was how to protect himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry please don’t hate me :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning!! Have some more trauma :)

Jean wakes to sharp hands pushing at his back and sharp words cutting through the air and before his sleep muddled brain can properly string together a coherent thought, Jean is on the ground, blankets twisting around his limbs, a dull pain shooting up his side where he had landed.

“Out,” Riko hisses. “Get out.” He looks terrible, eyes bloodshot, skin clammy, hands shaking. “I can’t-” he breaks off, taking a shuddering breath and digging his fingernails into his biceps, scratching long angry red lines down his arms. Jean wants to reach out and pull his hands away, to thread Riko’s fingers between his own, but he holds himself back. He knows what happens if he does something like that while Riko is in a mood like this and it is not pretty. Best to just get out fast and let Riko fight his demons on his own, before he changes his mind and tries to cut them out of Jean’s skin instead of his own. 

Riko finally gains his composure, his borderline panic making way for the anger constantly flowing through Riko’s veins. “Get out of my sight,” he snarls. Jean’s pulse quickens as he hurriedly detangles himself from the sheets and gathers his clothes strewn haphazardly about the room, pulling them on before he leaves. He tries to keep his distance from the bed, but there isn’t much room and Riko’s hand shoots out like a viper, clenching a handful of Jean’s shirt with white knuckles and pulling him close. “Do not let anyone in here,” he spits.

“Of course, Your Highness,’’ Jean says, bowing his head slightly. Riko releases him and all but shoves him away, and Jean stumbles out the door. He leans against the doorframe and pretends to be as powerful as Riko wants him to be, even though they both know that it will be impossible for Jean to stop the people Riko reallys to keep out.

Unfortunately, the world is cruel and Jean’s life is a cosmic joke. Not fifteen minutes later, a servant boy comes up to Jean with a slight limp that he is pretty sure the boy didn't have the day before and freshly dried tears on his face. Jean sighs inwardly and wonders what monsters plague this boy's dreams.

“Master Jean, sir, His Majesty has requested an audience with Prince Riko,” the boy sniffs.

“Riko has asked to not be disturbed at the moment,” Jean says, not coldly but certainly not inviting either. “Ichirou will have to wait.”

The boy flinches slightly at Jean’s causal use of the king's first name, but pushes on. “He- he said it was urgent, and he needed to come i- immediately.” Jean pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and hands it to the boy, who blows his nose loudly.  _ Children are disgusting, _ Jean thinks idly as he watches the boy.

“Is your leg okay?” Jean asks, more in an attempt to stall talking to Riko and convince him to see one of the people responsible for his nightmares than out of actual concern for the boy, though that was a small factor. The delay will make Ichirou mad, but Ichirou’s always mad these days so it will make little difference.

The boy sniffs again, eyes wide, but nods. “It’ll be fine. It really doesn't hurt that much.”

Jean highly doubts that, but he isn’t going to call the boy on it. If he needs to lie to himself to get through the day, then so be it. Jean’s been there too.

There's a muffled noise from behind the door and the boy’s eyes flick towards it quickly before darting back to Jean. “His Majesty will be angry if he’s kept waiting much longer,” the boy whispers. 

Jean sighs again, outwardly this time. “I suppose you’re right. And we wouldn’t want that, now would we.” The boy shakes his head vigorously. 

“You can go now,” Jean says when the boy continues standing there. “I’ll get Riko ready and deliver him to the king.” The boy bows slightly and scurries away without another word. Jean hopes he gets someone to look at his leg.

He also hopes the Riko doesn’t murder him in cold blood for interrupting after clear instructions to leave him alone, but Jean's feeling a lot less optimistic about that one. 

Jean knocks on the door softly. “Riko, I’m sure you heard some of that. Ichirou wants to see you.” There is silence on the other side of the door, loud enough to deafen. Jean raises his hand to knock when the door swings violently open, Riko glowering from the darkness spread out behind him.

“You had one job,” he snarls, getting into Jean’s face. 

Jean takes a practiced step back. “Apologies, Your Highness. Best not to keep Ichirou waiting.”

Riko scoffs, flicks his ridiculous cape that he insists on wearing, and marching out of the room with his head held high. To anyone else, Riko would appear to be the cool, collected, arrogant soldier prince he is known to be. But Jean can see through his facade with ease. Because Jean knows things that are only rumored to be true among the rest of the castle staff. Jean knows enough of what Ichirou does to Riko behind closed doors and he has picked up the pieces and put him back together enough times to know that Riko is terrified of Ichirou but so devastatingly desperate for his approval. Jean can relate. Oh, what a terribly twisted circle his life is.

It takes less time than Jean would have liked to get from the Nest to the throne room, where Ichirou no doubt waits impatiently for their arrival. “Riko,” he says softly, reaching out to grab Riko’s sleeve before he can enter.

“Don’t,” Riko snaps, yanking his arm away. “Do not touch me.”

Jean feels the sharp sting of rejection, though he knows he shouldn’t. It isn't personal. And even if it is, Jean should be used to it by now. He trails after Riko into the room, clinging to the shadows along the wall in an attempt to disappear. Ichirou lounges back in his throne, one hand wrapped loosely around a scepter that looks like it would work nicely as a club. Riko walks to the center of the room, footsteps echoing in the largely empty room. Jean presses himself further into the wall, waiting to be acknowledged so that he can be ignored. 

As if proving his point, Ichirou’s eyes barely glance at Jean before latching onto his brother. “Riko,” he practically purrs. “So kind of you to join me on such short notice this morning. I hope I didn’t interrupt any plans you had.”

It's a threat. They all know it, and it hangs in the air for an uncomfortable second before RIko bows stiffly. “Of course not, Your Majesty. To what do I owe the honor?”

A cruel, condescending smile splits across Ichirou’s face. “I’m glad you asked, dear brother. We will be hosting a ball for all the notable families in and around our kingdom in two days hence. It will be more suspicious if you do not attend than if you do, so unfortunately, your presence will be expected. You are to be on your best behaviour. Do not embarrass The Family any more than your mere existence inevitably will, or there will be consequences. And keep your pet on a leash,” he says, eyes flicking back to Jean in disgust for just a second. “Do you understand, Riko?”

“Yes,” Riko says, barely above a whisper.

“What was that?”

“Yes. I understand. I will not disappoint you.”

Ichirou chuckles humorlessly. His face seems borderline pitying and he says, “Oh Riko. That is impossible. You are good for one thing and one thing only. Aiding Tetsuji in commanding the army and moving troops is the only way you could ever hope to bring some honor to The Family, and somehow you are failing at that as well. Tetsuji tells me you have been tiresome as of late.” He raises an eyebrow at Riko, as if challenging him to defend his actions.

Riko, of course, takes the bait. “The General doesn’t understand. He doesn’t see my potential, what I could be. I’m good. I’m the best soldier we have. If you only gave me troops to command, I know that I can prove to you I’m worth more to The Family as a soldier than-”

“No,” Ichirou says coldly, cutting Riko off. “You overestimate your worth Riko. You are nothing. You owe The Family  _ everything, _ and so far, you have given very little back. You are not allowed to waste your life on the battlefield. Death is too great a reward for you.” 

Heavy silence fills the air as Ichirou stares Riko down. Jean hardly ever sees Riko cower, but cower he does as Ichirou continues. “You will speak no more of this. Simply do as you’re told, Riko. Surely you can handle that. It’s not so hard a task. If you cannot manage such a simple thing, I don’t know how you think that you could control a whole battalion.” 

He scoffs to himself, the glances back at Riko with a sneer. “Now, get out of my sight. Some of us have important work to do.’

Riko bows hastley and backs out of the room, very nearly running into the wall in his retreat. Jean follows him out, trying to maintain a slightly more normal pace without falling too far behind. 

They’re going in the vague direction of the barracks, so Jean feels it's safe to bet they’re going to the training room. He hopes no one gets in their way. Stopping Riko is basically impossible when he’s in a mood like this, and would most likely result in someone’s death. Not that Jean really cares, as long as it isn’t him, but it would be unnecessarily messy and Jean would prefer to avoid blood as much as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re finally beginning to discover the plot! Stay tuned for Jeremy’s first chapter later today. Let me know what you think so far!!


	4. Jeremy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter: Jeremy Knox   
> Here you go folks, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for!!! Just a disclaimer, this is supposed to be set in vaguely medieval times but I did very little research, so if my practically nonexistent descriptions of clothing are inaccurate I deeply apologize but I also don’t really care.

“Master Jeremy, if you don't hold still I’m going to poke you,” the seamstress Helen chides as Jeremy twists around to look in the mirror again. 

“Just do it Helen,” Laila says from where she sits sprawled in a chair really only meant for one person but somehow managing to hold both her and Alvarez. “Stab him. Maybe if you aim it right it could be like acupuncture. Jeremy could probably use some stress relief.”

“Could not,” Jearemy says, turning again to glare at Laila. Helen sighs. “I’m not stressed, I’m excited! And a little nervous. But mostly excited. This is my first ball at another castle, you know?”

“Yes, Jeremy, you’ve told us seven thousand times. We know.” She probably isn't exaggerating that much. Jeremy has mentioned the upcoming ball more than a few times in the past, well, two months he would guess. That’s about when they got the invitation. 

“Too bad it’s not a masquerade ball,” Alvarez says, her voice slightly muffled. Jeremy can hardly see her from where she's mostly buried under Laila’s lounging form. “Then if Helen stuck you it wouldn’t matter. You could just go as a porcupine.” 

“Ha ha,” Jeremy says, turning to look back at the mirror. 

Helen makes a frustrated noise somewhere behind him and grabs his shoulders, twisting him back to face her. “I swear to goodness Jeremy Knox, you are going to be the death of me,” she says around a mouthful of straight pins. Helen has been the seamstress for Jeremy’s family for as long as he can remember, so she’s used to Jeremy’s squirreliness by now. That doesn’t mean she likes it though. “If you keep moving, I will stab you, and it may not be an accident.”

“Are you threatening the crown, Helen?” Jeremy jokes. “Guards, do you hear this woman? The nerve! She should be jailed for her insubordination. Away with her! To the dungeons!”

“Oh, hush,” Helen says. Jeremy isn’t sure if she is talking to him, or Laila and Alvarez, who have collapsed into a fit of giggles in the chair. Probably both. “I don't care who you are,” Helen continues, “but if you do not  _ hold still, _ ” she grips his face firm enough to force him forward again but not hard enough to hurt. “And you get blood on this fabric, I will be thoroughly put out. This blue is so light even a little blood will stain it and I will not have enough time to make you another one before the ball. Do you want to wear something premade from my shop, not specifically tailored to fit you?” Jeremy shakes his head. “Didn’t think so. Now don’t move.”

Jeremy freezes like a statue for all of two minutes. He tries his best to hold still, he really does. This is his favorite tunic he’s ever had, and he would hate to ruin it and waste all of Helen’s hard work. The fabric is a pale almost silvery blue fabric with intricate silver designs stitched throughout that Jeremy thinks sets off his blue eyes quite nicely, if he does say so himself. It’s just so hard to stay in one place for so long when so many interesting things are happening. 

For example, Laila and Alvarez have started whispering to each other again, which is highly distracting. They’ve started doing that quite a lot recently, and Jeremy isn’t entirely sure how to feel about it. On one hand, it’s fine, he’s happy for them, it’s good. But on the other hand, he likes whispering and knowing secrets too and being on the outside of the two of them makes him feel an odd mixture of loneliness and longing that he really isn’t a fan of. 

“What are you whispering about,” Jeremy whisper yells. 

Laila giggles and shushes Alvarez before she can say something most likely rude. “Nothing, Jeremy,” Laila says. “You just keep standing still and looking pretty, you’re doing a great job.”

“You know,” Jeremy says thoughtfully, turning back toward the mirror where he is supposed to be. “I think the usual saying is ‘flattery will get you nowhere’ or something like that, but I’m actually very shallow and like to be told I’m pretty, so your compliments will suffice for now.”

Helen snorts a laugh and through some hidden magic, manages to keep Jeremy relatively still enough to finish putting pins and stitches into his tunic. “I’ll have it ready for you by tomorrow,” she says, once they get through the tedious extraction process that is removing a garment full of poky needles from a very pokable body. 

“Thank you Helen, dear, you’re a gem,” Jeremy says, giving her a quick hug before corralling Laila and Alvarez out the door. There are preparations in order, after all. Not that he really has anything to do with them. All that is left to do are things that the servants are taking care of, so Jeremy really has no reason to hurry. Getting his last fitting was the last thing he needed to do before they left. Now all he has to do is wait. He’s lasted 2 months, surely he can make it 12 more hours. 

“Jeremy, stop pouting,” Laila says, jostling him with her hip as they walk down a vaulted corridor towards Jeremy’s room. 

“I’m not,” Jeremy pouts. 

Alvarez rolls her eyes. “Yes you are. Come on, we’re leaving first thing in the morning. You should be excited!”

Jeremy pushes his bedroom door open and flops onto his bed dramatically, sinking into the soft white blankets. “I  _ am _ excited. I just want to leave  _ now _ . There’s nothing else for me to do.”

“You have way too much energy,” Alvarez says. “Maybe you should just… go to bed or something.”

“Al, it’s like 3:30, he can’t go to sleep now. Then he’ll be up at midnight all energized and ready to go. Change your clothes Jere, we’re going outside.”

Jeremy groans and rolls off his bed. There’s no use arguing with Laila when she gets her mind set on something. 

The girls are waiting right outside the door by the time Jeremy’s changed into a loose pair of pants and a long sleeve tunic. He probably could have gotten away with short sleeves, but the fall breeze that morning had been just enough to be biting, and Jeremy didn’t enjoy being cold if he could help it.

“Stables or courtyard?” Alvarez asks as they make their way through the echoey stone hall. They pause just outside the door, the breeze playing with their hair as they wait for Jeremy to make a decision. Right would take them to the courtyard, left would take them to the stables, so Jeremy really has to pick something before they can move on.

“Let’s do courtyard,” he decides. “We’ll be riding enough tomorrow.”

The girls nod and they turn to the right, passing through another door in the middle of a high stone wall that brings them to a large, well-kept courtyard with a happily bubbling fountain in the middle and not much else but grass everywhere else. They each grab a bow and a quiver of arrows as they pass the wall where practice weaponry is hung. Real swords and clubs and arrows are, of course, not stored out in the open where anyone can get to them, but are locked up in the armory. Sometimes Jeremy and the girls practice using real weapons, but for the time being, dull arrows will work just fine for target practice. 

Targets are already lined up along the far wall, which is pretty much where they live. They’re supposed to put them away after they use them, but they come out here so often it hardly seems worth it. Plus no one else really frequents this courtyard. Everyone else likes to go to the front courtyard, where there's an abundance of beautifully crafted landscapes and more than a few marble statues of previously deceased relatives which are, in Jeremy’s humble opinion, rather unsightly and should be avoided at all costs. 

They spread out in line with the fountain, each going to the same few targets that they always use. As they always do at the beginning, they start in silence, the only noise the soft  _ twang _ of the string when it’s released and the quiet  _ thump  _ that follows when an arrow strikes home, which it always does. 

Jeremy is not paying very much attention to where he’s shooting. Of course he’s aiming for the targets, but beyond that, he couldn't be sure. He normally puts more effort into getting straight bullseyes, but he just can’t be bothered right now. Too many thoughts of the upcoming ball fill his mind and leave no room for his usual competitive drive. 

Alvarez notices first, because of course she does, and interrupts Jeremy’s nonexistent focus. 

“Jeremy, where is your head right now? You’re doing horrid.” She gestures to the arrows sticking out of the targets in front of him, which are… not the most accurate Jeremy’s ever been. At least they all hit the targets. Jeremy is honestly pretty impressed about that. 

“Not too bad,” he mutters half to himself, but Alvarez has the ears of a hawk, so she hears him.

“ _ Not too bad? _ Jere, Laila and I whooped your ass. Nice job, by the way, babe. ‘Not too bad’ he says, as if he didn’t fail to shoot a single bullseye.” 

Jeremy shrugs. He just can’t bring himself to care that much about his inability to aim today when he could be thinking about much more important things, like the ball. 

Apparently his face shows as much, because Alvarez rolls her eyes, a rueful smile spreading over her scowl. Laila came up from behind her and propped her chin on Alvarez’s shoulder. 

“I guess distraction didn’t work very well, hmm,” she says, wrapping her arms around Alvarez’s waist. “It’s probably a good thing we didn’t go riding, you might have fallen off your horse. That would have been tragic.”

“Indeed,” Jeremy agrees. “Mostly for me. If I fell off a horse, I might not be able to go to the ball.”

“Oh my god. One track mind right here.”

“Yup,” Jeremy says, popping the p at the end.

Alvarez peels herself away from Laila and heads toward the targets to retrieve their arrows. “Well, if you’re not even going to try, do you just want to go back inside? Or do you want to try fencing for a little bit?”

“Al, I don’t think he should be fencing right now, he’ll lose an eye,” Laila says, gathering her own arrows.    


“Rude,” Jeremy declares, yanking at a particularly stubborn arrow lodged in the very edge of the target. 

Laila shrugs. “I’m just telling it how it is.”

Jeremy huffs but he knows she’s right. He’s much too distracted to be wielding stabby objects. Even dull arrows might be pushing it. “I should probably just go back inside now,” he says. “If we keep shooting, I might hit one of you.” He’s joking, but only a little bit. 

Thankfully, the girls just nod. “We’ll come with you,” Laila says. “Keep you company and all that.” 

“You don’t have to.” They hang their gear up and head back out of the courtyard and to the side door by Jeremy’s room. “I’m sure you have other things that you’d rather do now, before we have to leave in the morning. You go ahead. I can handle myself for a few hours. I’ll probably just go to bed early.”

They stop outside Jeremy’s door. “Jere, are you sure?” Alvarez asks. “It’s really no trouble for us.”

“I’ll be fine,” Jeremy insists, resting his hand on the door handle. “You two have fun.”

The girls exchange a doubtful glance, which really makes Jeremy wonder at their lack of confidence in him. But Laila says, “Okay, if you say so,” and then they’re leaving, casting more than a few worried glances over their shoulders as they go.

Jeremy heaves the door open and collapses onto his bed again with a sigh. He knows he’s of no use to anybody when he’s like this, and it would be a waste of everyone’s time if Laila and Alvalrez stayed to try and comfort him, but that doesn’t stop the pang of loneliness that hits him in the midst of the silence. Which is ridiculous, of course. He’s the one that sent them away, after all. With a futile glance around the room in desperate search for  _ something  _ that could hold his attention or distract him, even for a little bit, Jeremy sighs again. 

Tonight is going to be a  _ very  _ long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated! Also I think this is the longest chapter in the whole thing so I hope you liked it :)


	5. Alvarez

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, meant to post this like an hour ago but I forgot. Anyway, I have no clue what’s happening in this chapter please don’t ask me.

“Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Laila asks as they walk down the hall towards their room. They nod at the night guards coming to take their posts on either end of Jeremy’s door as they go by.

Alvarez shrugs. “He said he’ll be fine, and I’m sure he will be. He may not get much sleep tonight, but he’ll be fine.”

Laila looks unconvinced. 

Alvarez stops walking. “Babe. Look at me. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He could sneak out tonight and ride off by himself to try and get there early and then get kidnapped along the way and get held for ransom or sold or even  _ killed,  _ and then we’ll never really know what happened to him and-”

“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there,” Alvarez says, holding up a hand. “That seemed… extremely well thought out considering the very minimal pause you took before answering.” 

“Well, it’s something I’ve thought about before. Jeremy is a very kidnappable person. Have you met him? He’d probably just thank the kidnappers for making his night more interesting or something like that.”

“He wouldn’t-” Alvarez starts to protest, but she cuts herself off, because she honestly can’t say for sure that Jeremy wouldn’t do that. As smart as he is, Jeremy can be extremely impulsive, and as long as his “kidnappers” promised that he would be returned to his family eventually, he would probably enjoy a little adventure. 

Laila nods, taking Alvarez’s silence for the agreement it is. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” she says, sounding like she’s trying to convince herself. With a gentle nudge, she pushes the door open and Alvarez follows her into their room. They used to have separate rooms, but since they ended up together most nights, they decided to consolidate space and just share a room officially. Thankfully, the royal family has no problems with it. 

“He always is,” Alvarez agrees. 

They get ready for bed, helping each other take their armor off. It’s not nearly as romantic as it sounds, as most of the clasps are in weird places and are often sweaty and gross,which kind of kills the mood. That doesn’t stop Alvarez from peppering her girlfriend with kisses  _ after  _ she’s free of excessive pieces of metal. 

“Okay, enough,” Laila laughs and pushes Alvarez’s face away gently. “We have to get up early tomorrow and be able to keep up with Jeremy, who will no doubt be a chaotic ball of energy. We need to sleep.”

"Fine,” Alvarez says with pout. She presses one more lingering kiss to Laila’s mouth before they both climb into bed, Laila’s back flush against Alvarez’s chest, one of Alvarez’s arms draped lightly over Laila’s waist. It doesn’t take long for them to both drift off to sleep.

***

Morning comes far too soon in Alvarez’s opinion. It seems to her that just as soon as she has closed her eyes, Laila is shaking her awake and quite rudely ignoring Alvarez’s pleas to stay in bed. By the time she drags herself out of bed and gets ready for a long day of travel, Jeremy is up and about, very nearly skipping down the hallway as he waits for them. 

Absentmindedly, Alvarez thinks that perhaps it’s weird that the prince is the one waiting on the guards to get ready, but then Jeremy is saying that he’s been up for nearly three hours and Alvarez lets that thought go. There is no way she would be getting up early enough to wait for him. 

They eventually get all the horses packed up and all the guards and servants mounted. After a quick goodbye from his parents, the king and queen, and a reminder to be on his best behavior and not offend Ichirou in any way, Jeremy joins Laila and Alvarez in the middle of the herd and they are finally on their way. 

Jeremy sighs, a blissful grin on his face. “We really couldn’t have asked for a better day for riding.”

Alvarez rolls her eyes. “You would say that even if it were pouring right now.”

“Well, maybe,” Jeremy agrees somewhat sheepishly. “But at least now it’s true.”

And it is true. Brigh, warm sunlight filtered through the clouds, bouncing off the guards metal armor. There is enough of a breeze to keep the air from being heavy and stale, but not enough to really make it cold. The air is crisp with the scent that can really only be described as autumn. Fallen leaves crunch under the horses hooves as they walk, and Alvarez can’t help but agree with Jeremy, they couldn’t have asked for a better day. 

“Do you think fish can get thirsty?” Jeremy asks, interrupting the relative silence.

Alvarez can see Laila’s skeptical bordering on judgemental look from the other side of Jeremy, which she is sure is mirrored on her own face. Well, maybe not exactly mirrored. Alvares is pretty confident in the fact that she looks completely judgmental. 

“What?” Jeremy asks, genuinely looking confused when neither of them answered. “It’s an honest question.”

“Jeremy, how the fuck is that an honest question? Fish literally live in water,” Alvarez says.

“Okay, but like, hypothetically speaking,” Jeremy says, “if fish could somehow survive outside of water, would they get thirsty?”

“I mean, probably,” Laila says. “Every living thing needs water to live, right?”

Jeremy looked unconvinced. “Yeah, but fish need water to live because that’s how they breathe. Do they actually drink any of it?”

“I literally have no idea. Jere, where the fuck did this question come from?”

“I was just curious,” Jeremy says with a shrug. 

“With as many times as he asks crazy questions like this, you’d think we’d be used to it,” Laila mutters.

“But you’d be wrong,” Alvarez adds.  _ Do fish get thirsty?  _ Honestly. If she wasn’t already, that would have made Alvarez extremely worried for Jeremy’s mental stability. 

The rest of their trip passes in much the same way, with Jeremy asking increasingly ridiculous questions and Laila and Alvarez attempting to logic their way out of them. Or joining in on the debate. It just depends on the question, and how absolutely insane it is. 

“Why isn’t eleven pronounced ‘onety-one,” Jeremy asks eventually. 

Alvares exchanges a baffled look with Laila. “Onety-one?”

“Yeah! Okay hear me out. Some numbers follow that rule, but others don’t. Twoty-two, twenty-two. Threety-three, thirty-three. Those are both pretty close. Fourty-four, forty-four. Really just a spelling difference there. Fivety-five, fifty-five. Again, pretty close. Then we have sixty-six and seventy- seven, eighty-eight, and ninety-nine. Why do all the ones at the end do it? Why can we not have a consistent rule for numbers? That’s just confusing.”

“Huh,” Alvarez says. “I mean, I can’t argue with you there. Laila?”

“I’ve got nothing. Jeremy actually makes a good point for once.”

“Hey!” Jeremy cries, sending a betrayed look at Laila, who just snickers. 

“Hay is for horses,” she says. “And look: we’re here.”

Indeed, there they are. Castle Evermore towers before them, the looming figure casting a dark, imposing silhouette against the bright sky. Alvarez shivers as they walk into the shadow of the castle, taking in the massive spires and the grotesque, ravenesque gargoyles that protrude from every corner. It is certainly a sight to behold, but Alvarez can’t help but feel relieved that they will be returning home again by the next morning. She didn’t think she could handle staying here more than one night, no matter how luxurious it was on the inside. 

They dismount and an alarming amount of stable boys scurry out from god knows where to take their horses to the stables. A squire directs them to the front courtyard, where a group of musicians is playing lively music while the guests mingle about. Alvarez sighs. She hates small talk, but that is what one is expected to do at things such as this. With a steady hand on the small of Jeremy’s back, she pushed forward into the masses of gathered nobility. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀👀 Laila knows what’s up  
> Also idk why the end notes from chapter 1 insist on moving to the last chapter I post but that’s a thing i guess???


	6. Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First meeting?? Kind of???  
> Also new character introduction at the end :)

Though Ichirou had demanded Riko’s presence at the ball, he had failed to mention the banquet that was being held just before that. And the festivities that would be taking place all day before that. And the fact that some of their more distant guests are arriving the night before. This of course, is Jean’s fault in Riko’s eyes, as everything always is. 

Riko has already been aggressive and on edge for the last day and a half, and this intentional slight on Ichirou’s part is doing nothing to help. Jean’s torso bears the brunt of Riko’s anger, though there are a few others who got a taste of Jean’s pain in the training room. As Riko always says, he is the best fighter and no one, save maybe Kevin when he has still been alive, could best Riko in a sword fight. Those who have the misfortune of going against him when he is in a rage are, in Jean’s opinion, quite lucky to get away with their lives.

Now, Jean stands in Riko’s room at an ungodly hour, dressed in his own formal wear as he helps Riko get ready. There are servants to do this of course, but Riko insists that Jean do it. Jean likes to think that it’s because he is the only person Riko really trusts to touch him and see him so vulnerable, which may be partly true, but Jean knows that it’s more likely because Riko likes to see him put in his place. He chooses not to dwell on that.

“Kiss me,” Riko demands as Jean smooths out the fabric of his shirt with soft fluttery fingers and barely there touches. He lets his hand linger on Riko’s shoulder for just a second as he looks up. 

Riko’s face remains cold and composed, but the hand he snakes around Jean’s waist is almost gentle, so at odds with this morning, when the same hand had held a knife to Jean’s skin. Jean closes his eyes and does the only thing he can: he leans forward and closes the distance between them, allowing himself to get lost in the kiss for as long as he’s allowed to, just long enough for the pleasure to block out the pain, if only for a moment. 

Eventually, Riko pushes him away, apparently done with their impromptu make out session for the time being. Jean can’t decide if he’s glad or not. After a quick glance in the mirror, he deems himself ready and, with his stupid cape fastend securely to his shoulders, leads the way to the dinning hall where breakfast is being served. Several of their guests are already there, milling about in small groups as they eat the eggs and porridge prepared for the meal. The jousting tournament isn’t set to begin until sometime after noon, so more people will continue trickling in until then. The few people gathered in the dining room right now are quite enough in Jean's opinion, but no one asks him.

Breakfast is eaten and cleared away. Ichirou, ever the proper host, leads his guests out to the courtyard where musicians are set up and waiting to entertain. Jean doesn’t hate music, but he could really do without the crowd. He sits next to Riko on one of the benches set out, only half listening to him complain about what a waste of time this was and how he could be practicing right now. The music floats cheerfully around him and Jean tries to focus on that instead of the pounding in his head that is threatening to become a very painful headache. 

A new group walks in, headed by a young blond boy Jean thought looked entirely too young to be in charge of a kingdom. If he has to guess, Jean would say he is probably the son of a lord or duke or something like that. He is flanked by two female knights, which is certainly odd, but Jean isn’t one to question the strength of a woman. There are a handful of girls back at the nest who could wipe the floor with him, no question. Some of them, like Thea Muldani, have even gotten to see battle. This irritates Riko to no end. 

“That’s the Knox boy,” Riko hisses, startling Jean out of his thoughts.

“What?” Jean asks.

“That boy,” Riko says. “The blond one that just walked in. That’s the Knox boy. The one Ichirou wants to talk to.”

“Jeremy?”

Riko nods. “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Really?” Well in that case, he’s far more important than Jean thought. He’s not just a young lord or duke, but a prince, the sole heir to the Southern throne. “I didn’t expect him to look so… young.” 

“He’s the same age as us,” Riko says. “Only child. Never seen battle.” Of course Riko knows he’s never fought. Military rank is pretty much the only status he cares about.

“Huh,” is all Jean says, but he keeps watching the boy. There is something about him that makes Jean want to draw closer, to see, to touch. Like a moth drawn to a flame. But Jean knows that metaphor works all too well. The only thing that could come of him talking to the golden boy is Jean getting burned, and he lives with enough pain as it is to voluntarily bring more upon himself. 

So no, he will not approach, and he will not touch, but there’s nothing to stop him from watching, and so he does. He watches as Jeremy Knox, a prince, a dream, a golden ray of sunlight, flitters through the crowd, talking and laughing with everyone he meets. His guards are always close behind, always there for Jeremy to fall back on. They look at him so knowingly, so full of understanding, and Jean is sure that Jeremy is more  _ seen _ in the few moments he watched them than Jean himself had ever been in his entire life. 

Jealousy was a useless emotion, and yet, Jean can feel the bitter roots of envy worming their way around his heart. He pushes them away. No sense pinning after a life he cannot have. If someone gets to be happy, he supposes it may as well be Jeremy. 

Trumpets sound in the distance, and Jean suddenly realizes that much more time has passed than he had thought. It’s apparently time for the jousting tournament to begin. Jean looks to Riko and finds him already standing, looking back at him impatiently. With a hasty apology, Jean stands and trails Riko to the entrance where two stable boys are ready with their horses. Ichirou is already mounted and waiting, and he sends Riko a disapproving look as they join him, obviously displeased with his tardiness. The crowd of other nobility keeps him from saying anything thought, for which Jean is infinitely grateful. 

They move as a procession, most of their guests following along in carriages despite the short ride to the jousting field. Everyone knows that all the high standing castles in the area need to have a field in close proximity to the palace, and Evermore is no exception. The use of carriages in spite of the minimal distance is a blatant display of wealth, one that Ichirou and Riko can’t help but exempt themselves from. Riding in a carriage requires handing over more control than either of them are really willing to, and so they ride horses whenever possible, so that they can remain the masters. 

Jean thinks the whole think is kind of stupid, but he won’t complain. He’d rather be on his own horse than trapped in close quarters with Ichirou and Riko. 

They eventually make it to the field, ‘the Lists’ as they call it, and everyone gets settled into the temporary grandstand erected a full story above the tournament field. Along the edge of the arena were several brightly colored tents, where doctors were waiting in case of injury. 

And then came the contenders. Typically, jousting tournaments would last from several days to up to a week on end, but Ichirou had neither the time nor the patience to deal with hosting people for more than two nights tops, so there were only a handful of knights competing today. It was a closed competition, meaning that all the competitors had already been chosen and there could be no last minute challenges, as sometimes occurred. 

The competitors in the lists consist of mostly young, new recruits to the Evermore knights, hoping to gain fame and fortune, and maybe even climb the ranks or get promoted. Normally the parade of the contenders coming into the arena is a big deal, but there’s a little less fanfare when there’s only about ten knights competing. Still, they make due and Jean thinks there is plenty enough cheering and music playing and flag waving for the measly group of gathered fighters. 

“Have you seen that one before?” Jean asked, leaning over slightly so that Riko could hear him above the noise and pointing in the direction of a knight in black armor with an orange caparison draped over his horses back. His shield was engraved with what looked to be a fox, but Jean couldn’t be certain from the distance. 

Riko hummed. “New recruit. Gordon, I believe his name is. Something Gordon. Maybe Seth? I can’t be sure.”

Seth Gordon. Now that name did sound familiar. If Jean remembered correctly, he had come to the palace no more than two months ago. “Ambitious of him to enter the lists so soon after becoming a knight, don't you think?”

“How else is one to get anywhere in life if they never take any risks?” Riko asked. “I think him brave, at least for now. We’ll soon see how he holds up in the face of a charging lance.”

And indeed they would, for Seth Gordon was first on the list. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I love Seth Gordon, thank you that is all


	7. Jeremy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jerejeans first official meeting. Also a jousting tournament, which I have just enough knowledge about, obtained through research on Wikipedia, to be dangerous

Jeremy has never been to a jousting tournament outside of the lists of his own castle before. He has never done a lot of things outside of his own castle, which is probably why he is so ridiculously excited to be here. That, and the fact that he’s sitting by an insanely cute boy. Who happens to be sitting next to none other than Riko Moriyama, whom Jeremy is slightly terrified of. This is fine.

For the sake of potential flirtation, Jeremy chooses to ignore his fear. He turns to the dark haired boy next to him and asks, “Do you have a favorite to win?” He’s pretty sure that’s an appropriate question to ask during a thing like this. 

The boy looks at him with wide eyes, as if surprised to be spoken to. “Well,” he says slowly, “the man on the left, the big one, has been nicknamed Gorilla by his fellow knights, and rightly so. The one on the right in the black is new, I don't know much about him. From what I’ve heard, he’s incredibly brave… or stupid. I suppose that’s up for interpretation. But if I had to make a wager, I think I’d say Gordon. There’s just… something about him. I feel like he’s going to do well.” 

Jeremy smiles and is about to say more, perhaps ask him about the rules or something to that effect, but he is interrupted before he can.

“Jean,” Riko says, pulling the boy,  _ Jean’s,  _ attention away. Jeremy watches as Riko places a hand on Jean’s thigh in a way which looks slightly more than friendly. Although Jeremy isn’t always good at deciphering these things. His two best friends are both females who are in a relationship together and he’s never had a boyfriend himself, so he doesn’t really have much to go off of in terms of male affection. Nonetheless, Jeremy thought Riko’s hand was entirely too high and lingering to be a simple touch to get Jean’s attention. 

He missed what Riko said, but Jean’s laughing. It’s a nice laugh. Jeremy wishes he was the one that had made him laugh. 

“Jere?” Laila places a gentle hand on Jeremy’s shoulder, startling him. “You okay?”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine, I just, ah,” he nods in what he hopes is subtly towards Jean. 

Laila looks confused for all of two seconds before her face clears. “Ahh, I see. Well, best of luck.”

She winks and turns back to Alvarez, who is full on smirking at him. He can feel the heat rushing up his cheeks, no doubt turning his face bright red. 

“Have you ever been to something like this before?” a soft voice to his left asks.

“Only back at home, at the Southern castle, but I never really paid any attention,” Jeremy says, turning back to Jean and rubbing at his neck, as if that might distract from some of the redness. “Is it that obvious?”

Jean smiles softly. “Not at all. I just had a hunch.”

“Ahh,” Jeremy says, not really sure how to respond. Should he take the chance? That was a prime opening for a continued conversation. Is Jean fishing for that, or is he just being friendly, making polite conversation? Jeremy sucks in a breath and decides to go for it. “Well, since you seem to know what’s going on, would you mind explaining it to me?” 

“It would be my pleasure.” Jean smiles again, his mouth just barely lifting at the corners. It’s really just the slightest hint of a smile, but still, Jeremy feels like his heart is going to burst. He’s beautiful. 

Riko sighs on Jean’s other side, and Jeremy doesn’t think he imagines the dirty look he sends in Jeremy’s direction. He shifts closer to Jean, who in turn scoots closer to Jeremy. This is apparently not what Riko was hoping for, but Jeremy is thankful for his thoughtlessness. 

Jean starts explaining what’s going on and Jeremy listens dutifully without really comprehending any of it. His biggest takeaway is that two people charge towards each other with big sticks Jean says are called lances, and whoever gets knocked off their horse loses. 

Finally, the pleasantries and fanfare down below are finished and the tournament ready to officially begin. Seth and the so-called “Gorilla” take their places on either end of the field, and they charge towards one another, lances down. Gorilla lunges forward, but Seth manages to duck out of the way, jabbing his own lance into Gorilla’s shoulder and knocking him off balance. He grasps for the reins as their horses race past each other but can’t manage to get a firm enough hold, and the force of gravity pulling on his massive, unbalanced body, coupled with continued galloping of his horse is enough to unseat him. 

Gorilla lands in a heap on the ground and the crowd cheers. Stable boys are quick to run out and calm his still racing horse, lest he get trampled while he’s down; Gorilla, however, is not so easily tamed. He pushes himself to his feet and draws his sword, pointing it towards Seth, who has just wheeled around on his horse. 

Jean is quiet beside him but the crowd is in an uproar, booing and jeering. Jeremy isn’t positive, but he doesn’t think fighting after a knight has been knocked down is allowed. 

That doesn’t seem to be stopping Gorilla though. He charges towards Seth, obviously intent on seeing blood. Seth turns his horse and just sits there, watching, his hand drifting slowly towards the hilt of his sword. 

Before Gorilla reaches his destination or Seth has time to draw his sword, four men have surrounded Gorilla, grabbing at his arms and forcing off the field. 

“He’ll lose his horse for this,” Riko mutters darkly. 

“As he should,” Jean says. “You can’t just go around needlessly attacking people at what is supposed to be a harmless event meant for entertainment without getting some kind of punishment. Ichirou will probably have him removed from service.”

“That’s ridiculous. He’s a good soldier. Sure he’s a little aggressive, but all good fighters are. Not a lot of brains either, which is perfect for a soldier. Don’t need big ideas to follow orders. If only he-” Riko cuts himself off as Seth is handed the reins to Gorilla’s horse and walks off the field. He starts up his ranting again with no prompting, which Jeremy happily ignores in favor of watching Jean. 

“What happens now?” Jeremy asks.

Jean shrugs. “That one is over, I suppose. They’ll just continue on to the next one now.”

“Explain it to me?” Jeremy feels a little bit like he’s pushing his luck, like he might be trying a little too hard. 

But then Jean smiles, almost, and says “Of course,” and Jeremy thinks maybe Jean doesn’t care that much. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No gorillas were harmed in the making of this chapter.


	8. Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another weird question, curtesy of Jeremy.

Jean is pretty sure Jeremy isn’t actually understanding anything that he’s explaining, but he doesn’t seem to care, nor does he seem to be trying to learn. He keeps asking questions, but Jean has the feeling that they’re more to just keep him talking than anything else. Not that he’s complaining. 

Jeremy’s questions continue to get farther and further off topic until he asks “If all the horses died, do you think we would ride cows instead?”

Jean stares at him for a beat. “I- what?”

“Sorry, was that too weird?” Jeremy asks, seeming to just realize what he said. “Laila says I ask too many weird questions.”

“Oh, no, it’s just… well, it’s a little weird, but I don’t mind.” Jean thinks it is kind of endearing that Jeremy will just ask or say whatever is on his mind. It’s so different than when he talks with Riko, who hardly ever says what he is truly thinking. 

“You don’t?” Jeremy looks far too pleased for Jean to have just said he didn’t mind his weird questions, but Jean wasn’t going to analyze it too deeply.

“I suppose it depends on the reason all the horses are dead,” Jean says in response to Jeremy’s earlier question. Jeremy’s face lights up, looking thoroughly delighted that Jean is actually giving him an answer. Jean turns away from him slightly. The unbridled joy in his eyes is almost too much for Jean to look at head on. 

“Did they all die because of a drought or famine of some sort? Or is it a disease? If it's the first one, is there a reason why the cows lived but the horses didn’t? Is the disease specifically targeted towards horses?  _ Or  _ did they die because there is some new predator that upsets the balance and kills all the horses before they can repopulate? Was it our fault? Did humans kill the horses?”

“Let’s just say, for the sake of this debate, that they died from a disease specifically targeted towards horses,” Jeremy says, taking his returning questions in stride. 

Jean feels a thrill run through him. This is  _ fun _ . Arguing, not for the sake of really proving their point or trying to be right, not even really arguing in the first place. They’re just… talking about nothing, random, impossible things, and Jean is free to speak his mind in a way he never has before. For a moment, just a moment, Jean almost forgets where he is, who he belongs to. 

Riko, of course, cuts that moment short. “What the fuck are you talking about?” he hisses. 

“Whether or not we would ride cows if all the horses died,” Jean says without pause, turning to face Riko slightly. 

Riko scowls. “That makes absolutely no sense.”

“It’s just for fun,” Jeremy says softly. He shrinks back a little when Riko turns his glare to Jeremy, and Jean doesn’t blame him. Riko isn’t exactly easy to get along with, and he most certainly has a reputation that has reached outside of Evermore. Jean would question Jeremy’s sanity if he wasn’t at least somewhat frightened of Riko. 

Jean, however, has had nearly his entire life to get used to Riko. That doesn’t eliminate the fear, Jean knows what Riko can do, but Jean is used to living in fear. This is no different than his daily life. 

So Jean doesn’t shrink back. He doesn’t say anything else, but he doesn’t cower. 

“Remember who you are,” Riko says, narrowed eyes flicking back and forth between Jean and Jeremy. “You are a part of the Family, and you have a reputation to uphold.”

“Of course,” Jean mutters. The threat may not be explicit, but Riko’s intention is clear.  _ The Family owns you, and though you are nothing, your actions still reflect back on us. On me. If you look bad, then I look bad, and then Ichirou looks bad, and we can’t have that. Don’t act like a fool. _

“I think it’s time for us to go,” Riko says as he stands. 

Jean starts to protest, “But-” 

“Now,” Riko snaps, cutting him off. There is a heat in his eyes that Jean can’t decipher, and he isn’t sure he wants to. Silently, he stands up and follows after Riko, glancing at Jeremy as he passes. He hopes Jeremy can read the apology in his eyes, hopes he knows that this isn’t what Jean wants, but there’s nothing he can do about it. What Riko commands must be done.

Apparently the tournament is actually over, so it is an appropriate time for them to leave, which is good. Ichirou would have their heads if they left early. Other people are standing and gathering their belongings, cheering for whoever was crowned victor. Jean can’t see and he really doesn’t care. Whoever it is will get glory and fame that they probably don’t deserve, and they’ll strut around the castle halls for a few days, basking in their praise. And then the excitement will die down, and everything will go back to normal until the next tournament. 

Jean watches Riko pace in front of the horses as they wait, wearing a path into the dirt path outside of the lists. Soon enough, Ichirou ambles up, looking like he doesn't have a care in the world. 

“Did you enjoy the show, dear brother?” he asks, clearly picking up on Riko’s agitated state. Riko doesn’t dignify that with a response and just glares at him. “No?” Ichirou tutts. “Well that certainly is too bad. I hope you can manage to be pleasant for the remainder of the evening. We wouldn’t want to offend our guests with ill manners, now would we?” Ichirou smiles and patts Riko on the shoulder degradingly, like Riko is a child and Ichirou some wise, all knowing adult, though he’s only five years older. 

Riko lowers his head and glowers at the ground. The tension between the brothers is palpable. Not for the first time, Jean wishes he were somewhere else,  _ anywhere else, _ then shakes his head at himself. It does no good to dwell on dreams. This is his life. There is nothing more he can do about it. 

Ichirou swings onto his horse and the rest of their company is quick to follow suit. Across the field, he sees Jeremy and his knights mounting up. He looks up and makes eye contact with Jean, who feels slightly embarrassed to have been caught staring. Although Jeremy was looking too, so maybe it’s not a big deal. Jean isn't really sure what to do now, so he just smiles a little and looks away. 

“Jean,” Riko snaps, pulling his attention back to where it should be. “Pay attention. We’re leaving.”

“Right, sorry.” Jean turns his horse around and follows Riko, as he always does. The ride back to the palace takes longer than Jean remembered, most likely due to the silence and the heavy tension still lingering in the air between the Moriyama brothers, but they do finally arrive back at Evermore. Horses are dismounted and put away, and their guests are led into the dinning hall where the cooks and servants have laid out a grand feast. 

Nameplates are set up in front of every chair, arranging people in order of both status and who Ichirou likes the best. He sits at the head of the table of course, with Riko to his right and Jean next to him. The seat to Ichirou’s left is usually reserved for the guest of honor or some particularly distinguished noble, but surprisingly enough, none other than Jeremy Knox is seated there, his two guards taking the next two seats. 

Riko looks endlessly annoyed at his presence there. But he can’t act on it of course, not with his guards and Ichirou sitting right there, for which Jean is grateful. He doesn’t want Jeremy to have any foundational reason to fear Riko. Second hand stories are good enough, and cause much less pain. 

Jeremy looks at Jean as they are seated and smiles, and Jean isn’t sure what else to do other than smile back, or at least try to. He can feel Riko glaring at him without looking and Ichirou watching, always watching, taking in their entire interaction. Quite suddenly, Jean is ready for this stupid banquet to be over, before anyone can get hurt. That’s impossible, as it has only just begun, but still, Jean sends a silent plean to any god who might be listening to let this pass painlessly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first art piece will be posted either tonight or tomorrow, I need to decide where it fits better 😂


	9. Riko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of an info dump towards the middle to give you some more background, hope it’s not too boring. Also I have made the executive decision to post the art tomorrow morning

Of course the young upstart prince Jeremy Knox gets seated in the place of honor. It only makes sense, as Ichirou made the seating chart and it seems to be his life goal to make Riko’s life as miserable as possible. 

It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the way he had seen Jeremy looking at Jean earlier. And how Jean was maybe, quite possibly, almost looking back. As if Riko was nothing. As if Jean didn’t owe Riko _everything_. 

Jeremy has some nerve to think that he can just waltz in here and flirt with Jean with no consequences. Riko _owns_ Jean. He doesn’t do anything unless Riko approves of it, and he most certainly does not approve of Jeremy. 

Although, it probably won’t matter that much in the long run. If Ichirou makes the deal that he is hoping to make, he will end up more in control of the Southern Kingdom than the Lord and Lady Knox, effectively giving him control of all the land surrounding Evermore, and the knights and soldiers that come with it. Riko and Tetsuji are always in need of more people, more bodies to throw into the battlefield to help the Family protect their claim on the Lost Kingdom.

This claim is only a semi-valid one, based on half truths and manipulation, as much about the Family is. The story goes that just before Queen Kayleigh Day tragically died in childbirth, resulting in the death of her newborn baby and only heir to the throne, she passed control of her land to her long time friend Tetsuji and his family. The Family. Kengo had taken over the kingdom and vowed to protect it from opposers who sought to steal the crown. Ichirou followed in his footsteps when he died and left the throne of the now called “Lost Kingdom” empty, should there ever be a claim to Kayleigh’s bloodline. 

The Family knows it will never happen. Kayleigh had no living family besides her child, but she had given him to Tetsuji to raise until he was ready to rule. Until then, the Moriyama’s were to rule her kingdom. Unfortunately for Kayleigh, few others knew that baby Kevin Day had been born, and that was an easy thing to keep hidden. A few gold coins here, a slit throat there, and their secret was secured. Tetsuji brough Kevin back to Evermore and raised him alongside Jean, claiming that both of them had been given to the Family to pay off their parent’s debts and that they were now to be Riko’s personal guards for life. 

None of them knew the truth, Riko included. He didn’t find out until it was almost too late. Kevin had somehow found a letter his mother had written for him moments before her death explaining everything, and had to be _taken care of_ before he caused any potentially irreversible problems. It’s not what Riko had wanted, especially since Jean knows that Riko is the one responsible for Kevin’s death, but it was what had to be done.

So now the Family rules in Kayleigh’s stead, only keeping the throne empty to appease the people who live in that kingdom, who had loved Kayleigh while she lived. They know that there will be no one coming to claim it, but it’s the idea that matters. As long as the people have hope, they will continue to be easy to control. 

Ichirou is greedy for land, power, soldiers, resources, and the Southern Kingdom is rich in all of them. He’s hoping that the young, more influenceable prince will be easier to sway to his proposal than his wiser, more guarded parents.

“Riko,” Ichiruo says, pulling Riko from his thoughts. “Do be polite and give our guests a greeting.” He has finally begun eating. He always waits for a while, looking around and greeting people before he begins and forcing everyone else to wait with him, just another way to show off his power.

“Prince Jeremy,” Riko says, inclining his head in a show of manners. “I hope you are finding Evermore comfortable.”

“Prince Riko,” Jeremy says, mimicking the gesture. “Yes of course, Evermore is most accommodating. I quite enjoyed the tournaments this afternoon.” His eyes flick to Jean’s for the barest second before he turns to Ichirou. “Your Majesty, we are honored by your invitation. My parents were deeply grieved that they were unable to come, I’m sure they would have much appreciated your hospitality. I give you thanks in their stead.”

“It’s my pleasure to insure the comfort of my guests, though I was sad to hear your parents weren’t coming,” Ichirou says. “They don’t get out much now, do they?”

“Not as much as they’d like to, I’m afraid. Father’s back has taken to aching again, which makes long travel hard for him. He sends his regards, of course.”

“And send him mine. His missing presence is strongly felt though, I had some business I was hoping to discuss with him.”

“I’m afraid there’s not much I can help you with, if that’s what you’re implying,” Jeremy says with a small smile. “As my father is still King, I have very little power over decisions that will affect the kingdom.”

Ichirou looks perturbed for all of two seconds before his expression clears. “No matter. I would still like to talk it over with you if you don’t mind, perhaps tomorrow morning before you leave? I wouldn’t want to interrupt the merriment of tonight, now is not the time for business matters. But tomorrow you can tell me what you think and perhaps propose it to your parents to think over before I see them again.”

“Of course,” Jeremy says, because that’s the only thing he can say. “I’d be happy to give you my thoughts.”

“Wonderful. I look forward to it. Now tell me, Prince Jeremy, have your parents found you a wife yet?”

Jeremy flushes and, predictably, risks a glance towards Jean, who appears to be utterly fascinated by the bread on his plate. “Well, um, not exactly,” Jeremy says. “They think that if I am to marry, it should be for love, as they did. As I have yet to find anyone, I may end up taking the throne alone.”

“An admirable goal,” Ichirou says. “How is your mother? You didn’t speak much of her earlier, is she well?”

Riko tunes out Jeremy’s answer. The rest of the meal passes much in the same way, Ichirou asking questions in false curiosity, Jeremy’s answers polite but obviously excited. Ichirou forces Riko to engage a few times, which he does begrudgingly. Jean and Jeremy’s knights remain mostly silent except for asking things to be passed to them, and Riko rather wishes he could be left alone, like them. But that is not his lot in life, and he has a role to play, as always.

Nevertheless, he can’t help but feel relieved when the meal is finally over and they are released from the table. The ballroom won’t be much better, but at least he can escape from Ichirou for just a little bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know what kind of food people eat at a medieval banquet and I’m too lazy to research it so it’s all up to you and your *imagination*


	10. Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First art piece!!!! Also, we’re halfway done!

“That was the single most painful thing I have ever been forced to sit through,” Riko declares as they move from the dinning hall to the ballroom. 

“That seems a bit extreme,” Jean says, almost laughing at his dramatics. If it weren’t such a common thing, it would be funny, but as it is, Jean just rolls his eyes. “Agreed, though. That was certainly not the most pleasant dinner experience I’ve had.”

“Really?” Riko asks scornfully, voice harsher than Jean thinks the situation warrants. “Are you sure you weren’t  _ enjoying  _ yourself, staring at the golden boy the whole time?” 

“What are you talking about?” Jean tries unsuccessfully to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks and prays Riko doesn’t notice. 

Of course, he does. “Look at you,” he practically spits. “You’re  _ blushing _ . And he was no better, making goo goo eyes at you through the entire meal. What exactly do you think is going to happen with him?”

“Nothing, Riko,” Jean says. He can’t figure out exactly why Riko is so angry. Is he mad at Jeremy for flirting with Jean, or Jean for flirting back? Or because Jean was kind of ignoring him at the tournament? Could he… is it possible that he might be… jealous? No, no, that’s ridiculous. Riko wouldn’t waste time being jealous, especially over someone like Jean, right?

“That stupid princling is a waste of time. I don’t want you with him any more tonight.”

“It’s just a bit of fun, Riko. Isn’t that the point of this whole banquet and everything?”

“No, Jean. The point of all of this is for Ichirou to make sure his status is secured and take advantage of the princelings inexperience and youth so that he can get control of more land. So forget him. You’ll never see him after tonight anyway.”

“I know. It’s just one night. Just let me-”

“No,” Riko hisses, pushing Jean back against the wall. “You belong to _me._ Not him. Me. And that means you do what I say. And I say that I don’t want you with him anymore.”

“Why do you care?” Jean asks in a rare surge of confidence. Or possibly stupidity. There’s often little separating the two. 

Riko looks less than amused. “I just told you why. You’re  _ mine. _ ”

“And I’ll still be  _ yours _ tomorrow, and the next day, and all the days after that. I’m yours, Riko. I always will be. You own me and the Family owns you and everybody is owned by somebody, whether they like it or not, and I fucking get that, okay? I get it. But I’ve never asked you for anything before. And I just- we’re at a party, Riko. I want to have  _ fun _ , or at least try to. I want to dance, just for one night, and, well, Jeremy might ask me to. Please,  _ please _ , don’t make me say no to that. Or if you care so much, dance with me yourself."

Riko draws back as if struck. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” Jean says softly, all of a sudden feeling infinitely exhausted. And maybe a little in shock, at his own audacity. He’ll probably pay for it tonight, or tomorrow, but right now, in front of all these people, he’s relatively safe. 

“You think I would  _ dance with you _ ?” Riko lowers his voice, glancing around to make sure no one is close enough to overhear them. Watching, always watching. So concerned with his image, his reputation. “Like we’re, what, some kind of couple or something? Whatever. Do what you want. Dance with the stupid blond boy, but know that if you do, tomorrow will not be pleasant for you.”

_ “Tomorrow won’t be pleasant for me anyway,”  _ Jean thinks.

“Thank you, Riko,” he says instead.

“Don’t thank me,” Riko sneers. “Oh and Jean? Don’t bother looking for me the rest of the night. I don’t want to see you. But don’t go too far. I’ll find you tomorrow morning, when I’m good and ready.” 

Jean pushed down his growing sense of dread and turned away. He heard Riko mutter something under his breath before stalking away, leaving Jean alone by the wall. This is probably Jean’s least favorite version of Riko. Petty and angry and possessive. It's always worse when there’s a lot of people around, because then Riko had nowhere or no one to take his aggression out on. Even if Jean is the one being beaten, he’d almost prefer Riko’s physical anger over his barely concealed verbal rage. Pain Jean can deal with; it’s been his constant companion for as long as he can remember. Riko’s moody passive aggressive words, however, are a lot harder for Jean to decipher. 

With a sigh, Jean leans back against the wall and glares at the general masses dancing. He doesn’t see Jeremy anywhere, not that he’s looking. It’s just an… observation, is all. Nothing more. 

Jean resigns himself to spending the rest of the night by the wall, always on the outskirts, never really a part of the crowd. Already, he’s feeling bad about his argument with Riko. It seems so stupid and pointless now. He debates trying to find Riko and apologize, but figures that probably won’t go over well with Riko’s current mood. So Jean stays where he is, wishing, not for the first time, that he could be anywhere but here. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a short update this morning, but I’ll post three today :)


	11. Jeremy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jean and Jeremy get more officially introduced :)

“Oh my god,” Jeremy says, eyes snagging on a lone figure leaning against the wall. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, Laila!”

“What,” Laila squawks, pushing her head next to Jeremy’s to see from the same angle. “What are we looking at? There’s not a threat right? Is it a boy? Is it-  _ oh,  _ it’s tall, dark, and handsome, isn’t it?”

“It’s tall, dark, and handsome,” Jeremy nods solemnly. They’re leaning against the railing of the balcony, a perfect view for watching the crowd. 

“What are we looking at?” Alvarez asks coming up behind them, a goblet clasped in each hand. 

“Tall, dark, and handsome, two o’clock,” Laila says, nodding in the boy's general direction as she relieves Alvarez from one of the goblets. 

Alvarez peeks over Jeremy’s shoulder, a feat which is not very difficult as she is taller than him.“Oh,  _ oh,  _ look at him Jere, he’s  _ brooding. _ ”

“ _ I know, _ ” Jeremy groans. He’d been looking for Jean for a while, and once he found him, he couldn’t help staring. He knows that sounds kind of creepy, but there really isn't anything he can do about it. Something about the way he holds himself, as if he is trying to meld into the shadows where no one will see him but inadvertently drawing attention to himself is so  _ intriguing  _ to Jeremy. There’s a story to him, and Jeremy wants to figure it out.

Laila looks at him thoughtfully. “Is that the boy you were sitting next to at the tournament?”

Jeremy nods.

“What is his name again? Something French, isn’t it? Jacque?”

“Jean,” Jeremy says. Is it weird that he remembers his name, when Jean never explicitly introduced himself to Jeremy? It’s probably weird. Jeremy can’t bring himself to care.

“You should go talk to him,” Alvarez says, nudging his shoulder playfully. 

“No, Alvarez, I can’t do that, it's weird. I don’t know him. Not really. I mean, I know we talked during the tournament and I feel like we had some prolonged eye contact during dinner but… that’s probably just because of proximity. He was only talking to me because I was the only one around, you know? I’ll just… continue admiring from afar.”

“You’re no fun.” Alvarez says. “That’s the whole point of a party, Jere. Meet new people, flirt with the hot brooding dude, maybe if you're lucky he’ll flirt back. Take some risks! What’s the worst that could happen?”

“He says no when I ask him to dance, loundly and in front of everyone and it makes a whole scene, thus humiliating me for the rest of my life and I never get invited to another ball ever again and I’m destined to squander away my sad miserable life in solitude.” 

Alvarez rolls her eyes. “Okay drama queen. As that whole scenario you created would also doom him to a life of humiliation, I think that the chances of that happening are slim to none. Maybe, you will lock eyes and fall instantly in love, and you’ll ride off into the sunset together to elope and you’ll have lots of beautiful babies.”

“Alvarez, we’re both males, we can’t have babies.”

“Semantics,” Alvarez says, waving a hand around flippantly. “Now go get your man!”

“He’s not my man,” Jeremy grumbles. “Are you just trying to get rid of me so you can be alone with Laila?”

Alvarez gives him a mock innocent look. “Jere, of course not, who do you think I am? You know I only ever have your best interests at heart.”

Behind him, Laila snorts and Jeremy raised a skeptical eyebrow. 

“Okay fine,” Alvares says, “there may be a teeny tiny part of me that wants you to leave so that I can be alone with my girlfriend, I mean look at her, can you blame me? But that’s only a small part! Most of me wants you to have fun and quite possibly fall in love.” She raises her eyebrows suggestively, looking back and forth between Jeremy and Jean.

“Oh my god, I literally cannot stand you,” Jeremy complains. “I’m leaving now. You two have fun.”

“Oh we will,” Alvarez assures him. “And, you know, if we don’t see you until tomorrow morning because you find yourself… otherwise occupied,” Jeremy blushes and Alvares cackles, “We wish you good night and the best of luck.”

“Stay safe, Jere,” Laila says. “And don’t get-”

Jeremy cuts her off. “Kidnapped. Yeah, yeah, I know.” Before they can say anything else, Jeremy leaves, descending the steps from the balcony and pushing his way through the crowd, stopping before he gets quite to where Jean is standing. He takes a deep breath, running his fingers through his hair. He can do this. They talked earlier. This is no different. Right?

He pushes his doubts aside and walks up to Jean. “Hey,” Jeremy says, aiming for causal. He’s not quite sure he’s successful, but Jean looks surprised enough that someone was talking to him, so Jeremy doesn’t think he noticed. 

“Hey,” Jean says, looking at Jeremy quizzically. 

“Umm,” Jeremy suddenly wishes he had spent a little more time planning something to say. “We, uh, never got officially introduced,” he says in a rush. “I’m Jeremy.”

There’s that almost smile again. “I know. I’m Jean.”

“I know,” Jeremy copies with his own smile. 

They lapse into silence, both watching the crowd and each other and pretending they aren’t. Jeremy kind of wants to ask what happened with Riko, but he’s not sure if he should bring it up. Maybe he could just ask if Jean is okay. Yeah, that’s good, because then he’ll know Jeremy’s worried about him. Perfect.

“Hey, uh, I saw you with Riko earlier, he looked pretty pissed. I just- I mean, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Jean says, expression darkening. “He gets like that sometimes. I’m sure he’ll be back to normal tomorrow.”

Jeremy nods. “I hope so.”

“But until he’s back to himself,” Jean continues, “we probably shouldn’t stay here. It would probably be best for both of us if he doesn’t see us together for too long.” Jean’s voice turns light, almost teasing. “I don’t know if you noticed or not, but he doesn’t like you very much.”

“I did get that impression, yes.” Are they flirting? Jeremy’s pretty sure they’re flirting. At least, he’s flirting. He thinks Jean is flirting too, maybe, probably. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking. 

Jean looks around as if to make sure Riko isn’t anywhere near them, but Jeremy hasn’t seen him since he left Jean. Granted, he hasn’t really been looking at anyone other than Jean, especially since they started talking, so in all honesty Riko could probably be standing right next to them and Jeremy wouldn't notice.

“Okay, come with me,” Jean says, grabbing Jeremy’s hand and dragging him in the general direction of the doors leading out to the courtyard. Jeremy thinks he might die, because that is the single hottest thing anyone has ever said to him, and Jean is taking him somewhere else, and they’re  _ holding hands.  _ Even if nothing else happens tonight, Jeremy thinks that this may very well be the best day of his life. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stand by my belief that Laila and Alvarez would would give the best pep talks


	12. Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seth makes a reappearance

Jean pushes one of the big glass doors open and pulls Jeremy outside, weaving his way through the few people scattered around the courtyard until they’re around the corner, out of view from the ballroom and completely alone. They can still hear soft music filter through the open windows and the occasional sound of laughter, but otherwise, the space around them is silent. “We should be fine out here,” Jean says. 

“Have big plans for me out here, away from everyone?” Jeremy jokes. Jean feels his ears heat up and tries to push away the mental images that have just invaded his mind. Not that they’re unwanted, this just really isn’t the time. 

“Well, I” Jean takes a second to marvel at his own fearlessness, then continues, “I was wondering if you’d maybe want to dance?”

Jeremy’s face lights up, and if that is the last thing Jean sees before he dies, he would die happy. “I would love to,” Jeremy says, stepping closer and looping his arms around Jean’s neck. Jean in turn circles his arms around Jeremy’s waist and wills himself to not pass out due to the scant amount of space between them. 

They dance through several songs, or at least step back and forth together, but Jean couldn’t remember for the life of him what songs they were. He tries to pay attention, he really does, but all he can focus on is how close Jeremy’s face is to his. If he leans down just a little bit, they could be kissing. But he keeps his head up, because he doesn’t think he’s ready for  _ that _ yet. 

The only problem with keeping his head up, is that then he notices that the top of Jeremy’s is really just the exact perfect height for Jean to rest his chin on. Or for Jeremy to lay his head on Jean’s shoulder. Both are good options, but if either were to happen, Jean would have a heart attack and die. 

“So tell me, Jean,” Jeremy says, interrupting Jean's rapidly derailing thoughts, “have you ever lost something important to you?”

“What do you mean by ‘important?’”

Jeremy shrugs. “Whatever you want it to mean.”

Has Jean ever lost anything? His family. His freedom. His faith in humanity. He feels like maybe he shouldn’t say any of that. “My best friend,” he says after a pause. “Kevin. He was… one of the only good things about this place.”

“What happened?” Jeremy asks softly. They aren’t dancing anymore, just standing there with their arms around each other. 

“He died,” Jean says. “Four years ago. I know it was a long time ago, and he used to drive me crazy, but  _ god  _ I miss him.”

Jeremy gently strokes his thumb along the side of Jean’s neck, whether intentional or on accident Jean will never know, and he barely suppresses a shiver. “I know this doesn’t really help anything,” he says, “but for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I can’t imagine trying to live without Laila or Alvarez.”

“Yeah well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Thank you though. What about you? What have you lost?”

Jeremy’s smile returns, though just a shade dimmer than before. “Mine seems stupid compared to yours.”

“I don’t care, I want to know,” Jean insists. 

“Fine. When I was really little, I had this stuffed bunny rabbit that I took everywhere with me, couldn’t sleep without it. I named her Bun Bun. One day, she just disappeared. I don't remember exactly what happened, but we must have gone on a trip and I left her there or something, because I never saw her again. After that, I think I really started to grow up. My father let me come to important meetings with him, I started learning how to rule. The rest is history, I guess.”

“The loss of your childhood innocence is nothing to take lightly,” Jean says. “How old were you?”

“I don’t know, ten? Maybe eleven? Definitely old enough that I should have been fine without a stuffed animal, but that was before Laila and Alvarez came, and Bun Bun was pretty much my only friend.” 

“Jeremy Knox, how dare you claim that yours was stupider than mine? That was quite thoroughly tragic and heart wrenching if I do say so myself.”

Jeremy laughs. “I think yours was definitely sadder than mine.”

“They have the same emotion though, the same feeling,” Jean says, “losing a friend.”

“They do,” Jeremy nods. They start swaying to the music again, and until then Jean has almost forgotten that’s what they are supposed to be doing in the first place. 

“This has been fun,” Jeremy says after a slight silence. “I’ve quite enjoyed this.”

Jean smirks. “Even though I dragged you away from your friends and made you dance outside?”

“ _ Especially  _ because you dragged me away from my friends and made me dance outside,” Jeremy says. “First of all, it’s beautiful out here, and so quiet and less crowded, which I am a fan of. And my friends were trying to get me to leave so they could go make out in a corner somewhere, so your company is much appreciated over theirs at the moment.”

“Glad I could be of service.” 

They’ve stopped dancing again, but Jean hardly notices. He flicks a glance at Jeremy’s lips. They’re so close. 

“Jean,” Jeremy whispers. “Can I kiss you?”

Jean looks up, surprised. The ‘yes’ is ready on his lips, but the look on Jeremy’s face makes him pause. He looks hopeful and nervous and uncertain. Like saying no is actually an option for Jean. And then it hits Jean that with Jeremy, it is. He doesn’t want a quick and easy yes, he wants the truth, and that is something Jean has never been able to give. 

Jeremy waits for him as he thinks, saying nothing. Jean considers saying no, just because he can, and then he realizes, he doesn’t want to say no. He wants to say yes. So he does. 

Jeremy’s eyes widen, a grin splitting over his face. “Are you sure?” He asks. “You don’t have to. You can say no.”

“No, I want to. Kiss you, that is. If you want to.”

Jeremy grins, looking entirely too smug. “Yeah, I want to.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.” Jeremy laughs and leans forward til their faces are just inches apart. Jean’s eyes drift shut but before their lips touch, loud echoing footsteps accompanied by a sharp voice interrupt them. 

“Prince Jeremy,” the voice calls. Jeremy and Jean spring apart, attempting to look normal. “Your Highness, King Ichirou is looking for you.”

“Me?” Jeremy asks. “Whatever for?”

“I wasn’t told,” the dark skinned man says. Jean recognizes him as Seth Gorden, the new knight recruit and recent winner of the jousting tournament. “I was just asked to retrieve you. You as well, Sir Jean.” 

“Ichirou sent for us?” Jean asks. He can’t remember ever being sent for by Ichirou. He didn’t think Ichirou even knew his name. 

Seth nods. “Riko is already with him. You best hurry, I’m sure you know how Ichirou gets when he’s made to wait.”

Jean exchanges a glance with Jeremy, who shrugs. Obviously neither one of them know what’s going on, so Jean supposes they’ll just have to do what Seth says. 

“Okay,” Jeremy says, answering for both of them. “Where to?” 

“Follow me.” Seth goes in the opposite direction of the doors to the ballroom, leading them deeper into the courtyard and in the vague direction of the front gates. Jean hesitates for a brief second. Something about this feels weird, but he can’t put his finger on what it is exactly. But Jeremy’s looking back and him, and there’s really nothing else to do but follow.

They make their way around the castle, seemingly heading towards the stables. “Where did you say we were meeting him again?” Jean asks, suspicion growing. 

Seth grins. “I didn’t.” 

Before Jean can run or yell or draw his sword or  _ anything,  _ there is a sharp pain in the back of his head and everything goes black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg a kidnapping??? Who would have ever seen this coming???


	13. Jeremy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy is very bad at being kidnapped

Jeremy wakes up with a throbbing ache in his head. He raises a hand to rub it but finds that he can’t for some reason. With more difficulty than he thinks should be necessary, he peels his eyes open. The first thing that he notices is how dark it is, quickly followed by the sensation of moving. 

He’s on a horse, which is certainly interesting; he doesn’t remember getting on a horse. His chest is pressed against the horse's neck, face buried in it’s mane. His hands are also tied in front of him around the horse's chest, which is why he couldn’t reach his head. Jeremy is decidedly confused, and then the horse shifts and Jeremy becomes quite suddenly aware of the pressure of another body pressing up against him from behind, which really only heightens the confusion. Twisting around is a difficult task while tied to a horse, but he manages and comes face to face with Jean’s unconscious form. Jean appears to be tied to Jeremy, which makes sitting up a challenge, but Jeremy does his best, struggling to keep both himself and Jean’s dead weight balanced on the horse. 

“Jean,” he whispers, nudging him. In another situation, Jeremy might be happy to be leaned against Jean’s chest on a horse, but he’s far too confused to be able to make any sense of the situation, least of all enjoy it. 

“Ahh, you’re awake,” says a voice to his left. “He should be up soon too, just give him a few more minutes.” Jeremy whips around to face it, which he really should not have done considering the current state of his head, and is greeted with the sight of the soldier from before, the one who was going to take them to Ichirou, also sitting astride a horse. If he’s not mistaken, his name is Seth. 

“Sorry for the rude transition,” he continues. “ _Somebody_ didn’t stick to the plan.” He glares across Jeremy; he follows his gaze and realizes there is another person with them, a woman with dark skin like Seth’s and short, curly dark hair. 

“I made the plan, I can do what I want,” she says. “And you were taking too long. We had to hurry up and get on the road before somebody noticed. It’s called improvising.”

“I hate your improvising,” Seth grumbles. 

“Excuse me,” Jeremy says politely. “Hate to barge in here, but can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?”

Seth laughs, which Jeremy doesn’t really appreciate. “I’m Seth Gorden, but you probably know that already.” Jeremy nods, proud of himself for remembering the right name. “This is Dan Wilds,” he says, gesturing to the woman on his right who gives him a small wave. “We’re part of a… hmm, revolutionary seems too strong-”

“Vigilante,” Dan supplies.

“Ahh yes, that’s the one. Vigilante. Anyway, we’re part of a vigilante group known as the Foxes. We promise no harm will come to you and all that, except for the headache you probably have now because Dan was in a rush and had to go and _knock you out_ , and you will be returned to your family shortly. Our only goal really is to keep you out of Ichirou’s hands for a while to make sure you don’t make a stupid deal that gives him even more power than he already has.”

“I wouldn’t,” Jeremy says, offended they would even suggest such a thing. He knows what Ichirou wants and he isn’t about to sign away his family's land and his inheritance. 

Dan shrugs. “I’m sure you think that, but Ichirou can be very persuasive, and, no offence, but you’re young and inexperienced, which makes you stupid and a liability. It was a risk we couldn’t take.”

“No need to sugar coat it,” Jeremy says. “Wait a minute. Is this a kidnapping? Am I being kidnapped?” 

Dan and Seth exchange a glance. “I suppose you could call it that, though I prefer to look at it as a temporary monitored location change,” Dan says. 

“No, no, I like kidnapping,” Jeremy says. “I’ve always kind of wanted to be kidnapped. I feel like I’ve made it now. Only important people get kidnapped.”

“Who’s getting kidnapped?” asks a voice from behind him. 

“Jean!” Jeremy cries, whipping around again, which he really needs to stop doing, it is not helping his headache. “Oh my god, I’m so glad you’re alive!”

Jean struggled against the bonds trapping his arms around Jeremy’s waist, looking around him in confusion. “What is going on? Why are we tied up? And on a horse?”

“Oh yeah sorry about the ties,” Seth says. “We thought you might fall off the horse if you weren’t tied to it. We can take those off now, as long as you promise not to run away.”

Jeremy nods, holding his arms out towards Seth so he can cut the rope. 

“You,” Jean growls, attempting to lunge at Seth. The ropes keep him pretty securely in place, but it doesn’t stop him from jostling Jeremy around in his struggle. 

“Easy there,” Seth says. “If you’re gonna act like that, we’ll have to leave you tied up.”

“Release me at once,” Jean demands. 

“Hmm, I don't think so, no. Not unless you use your manners.”

“Jean, it’s okay, they’re just kidnapping us for a little bit,” Jeremy says, placing a now freed hand on Jean’s arm, which is a little awkward considering the fact that Jean is behind him. “They promised to take us back soon!” 

Jean stares at Jeremy as if he had sprouted two heads. “That- you just used “okay” and ‘kidnapped” in the same sentence, and I really don’t think you should have.”

“Listen to the kid, Jean, everything was much more peaceful before you woke up.”

“Seth, stop antagonizing him,” Dan chides. 

Jean turns, noticing Dan for the first time. “Dan Wilds,” he says.

“Jean Moreau. I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t say the same,” Jean grumbles. “Though perhaps if you were to be so kind as to enlighten me to the reason for my current situation, I may be convinced to share the sentiment.”

Dan smiles. “But of course. As Seth was just telling Jeremy, we took him to keep him from making a deal with Ichirou. And you… well, the short answer is we took you because it was easier. You were right there, and it was easier to just grab you both. The long answer, I suppose it really isn’t that long, but the long answer is that there is someone who hopes to see you. He’s been expecting you for quite a while now.”

“I’m sorry, who?” Jean asks, looking thoroughly puzzled. 

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you. I have been sworn to secrecy, and that is a promise I cannot break.”

“What about you,” Jean says, turning to Seth again. “Do you know who it is?”

“I do, yes, but I’m not going to tell you either. Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to because you annoy me.”

Jean rolls his eyes and says, “Fine, keep your secrets. I suppose I’ll find out soon enough.”

“You will,” Seth agrees. “Now, can you behave without your bonds, or do we need to keep you tied up.”

“I’ll behave.” The look Jean gives Seth sends chills down Jeremy’s spine, but Seth seems oblivious to it. Or he just doesn’t care. Seth takes a small knife out of a sheath by his thigh and cuts the ropes connecting them, snatching them before they can fall to the ground. Jean shifts back now that they’re freed, and Jeremy mourns the loss of Jean’s body heat pressed against his back. 

“How much farther is wherever we’re going?” Jeremy asks. 

“No much,” Dan says. “Just through these woods, and then a little ways beyond the clearing.”

“Where are we anyway?” Jeremy asks, looking around. They’ve just entered a small woods, the relatively bright light from the full moon and sky full of stars now obscured by twisting branches and patchy leaves, leaving thin, dappled moonlight to filter through the trees.   
  


“I’m afraid that’s confidential,” Dan says. “But it should be safe. I hope.”

Jean raises a skeptical eyebrow. “Well that doesn’t sound very convincing.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Dan says, shaking her head. “I’m probably just overthinking it. We really just need you for tonight and tomorrow, maybe tomorrow night depending on how things go, and then you can go back.” She glances at Jean not so subtly. “If you want to, that is.” 

Jean looks away, all of a sudden appearing very interested in the sky above them. Jeremy isn’t exactly sure what goes on at Evermore, but he’s heard the rumors and if what he saw with Riko at the ball was any indication of what he’s normally like, well, Jeremy hopes Jean doesn’t go back. 

They get to the end of the woods soon enough, and through the clearing, Jeremy can see a house in the distance. Seth looks at Dan expectantly, who rolls her eyes.

“Yes, fine, Seth. Just go.”

Seth whoops and cuts the rope ties between his horse and the one Jean and Jeremy are one, which Jeremy hadn’t even noticed until just then, and gallops off full speed to the house. 

“Stop cutting all the ropes you moron,” Dan shouts after him. “Now we can’t reuse them.”

“What’s his hurry?” Jeremy asks.

“His boyfriends are waiting for him at home, and he hasn’t seen them for like three months, since he became a knight at Evermore.”

“I’m sorry, did you say _boyfriends,_ like, plural? As in there is more than one?”

“Yeah, there’s two of them. I honestly don't know how they do it, because I’m a selfish bitch and don’t want to share my boyfriend with anyone, but the three of them seem to make it work. I don’t understand it and I don’t really want to. I just try not to ask too many questions and just stay out of their way.”

“Huh,” is all Jeremy says. Jean says nothing. 

“Yeah,” Dan says. “It’s better this way, for him to ride ahead, because I promise you they will be completely inseparable and all over each other for at least the first ten minutes, and you will see enough PDA between the three of them in the few days your here to last you a lifetime, so I really don’t want you to see any more than you absolutely have to.”

“Much appreciated,” Jean says. “I prefer to avoid PDA at all costs, as often as possible.”

Jeremy laughs. “I think you would probably die around my knights. The amount of times I’ve walked around a corner to see them making out…” Jeremy shivers. “I’ve been scarred for life.”

Jean makes a face and Dan snorts, cutting off when they see how close the house is. “Alright boys, buckle up. You’re about to meet a shit ton of people.” 

Jeremy can’t help but grin. He always knew getting kidnapped would be exciting. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👀👀👀 who is responsible for jeans kidnapping??? And who are seths boyfriends??? All good questions, both of which will be answered tonight :)


	14. Kevin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my crack ship hope you enjoy your stay

Seth is due to be back any minute now and Kevin is pacing. Because if everything went according to plan,  _ “it did,” _ Kevin assures himself,  _ “of course it did,”  _ then Jean will be with him. Kevin isn’t sure how to describe exactly how he feels about being reunited with Jean. It’s been  _ four years _ , and as far as Jean knows, Kevin is dead. But here Kevin is, alive and well. He had managed to get away with just a broken hand, fractured pride, and shattered spirit, and Wymack and the Foxes were able to put most of the pieces back together. Kevin shudders to think where he would have ended up without their help. Probably dead for real. This sobering thought brings him back to the matter at hand: Jean. 

As any normal person would feel knowing they will soon be reunited with their childhood best friend, Kevin is excited. Ecstatic, even. It’s been  _ four years. _ A lot can happen in that much time. They have so much to catch up on, Kevin has so many things that he’s been dying to show Jean. 

But that’s just another problem, isn’t it, and it leads to Kevin’s second emotion: guilt. How has Jean’s life been these last four years, after Kevin left him alone to Riko’s flippancies? How can Kevin even stand to face Jean, without rubbing into Jean’s face how Kevin escaped and Jean didn’t, how Kevin ran and didn’t look back, how Kevin built a better life without Jean in it. 

And here lies  _ fear. _ Kevin is honestly terrified that Jean will take one look at Kevin, spit in his face, and walk back to Riko. Quite frankly, Kevin wouldn’t blame him. If Jean had left Kevin alone with Riko… god, Kevin didn’t even know what he would do, but it would definitely not be run back into Jean’s arms for a beautiful heartwarming reunion. 

“Kevin, I swear to god if you keep pacing I am going to lose my fucking mind,” Aaron growls from the chair he is perched in, watching Kevin’s erratic path through the room. He holds out a hand, clearly asking Kevin to join him, and says, “Come here.” As demanding as it sounds, Kevin knows it is a question, a request, a plea. And not only for his sake. Kevin is more outwardly expressive of the nerves, but he knows Aaron is impatient too.

“They’ll be here soon,” Kevin murmurs as he drifts towards Aaron’s chair. He scoots over to make room for Kevin next to him but after Kevin sits down, he just pulls Aaron sideways into his lap, wrapping his arms loosely around Aaron’s waist. 

“I miss him,” Aaron says softly, leaning back to rest his head on Kevin’s shoulder, pressing a feather light kiss to the sensitive skin of Kevin’s neck. Goosebumps race along his skin, his already pounding heart somehow managing to pick up even more speed in response. 

“I know. So do I.” Kevin loves the feeling of Aaron’s weight on top of him, but something just doesn't feel right without Seth’s feet shoved under his thigh, Seth’s hands running through his hair, Seth’s lips pressed against his forehead. They’re like a puzzle with a missing piece. Still whole, still recognizable, but incomplete. 

Seth has been gone for almost three months now, and somehow Kevin and Aaron have survived that long without him, but this last stretch of waiting feels like it might be more than Kevin can bear. Finally being reunited with his boyfriend as well as his childhood friend he abandoned all at the same time is just a little much in Kevin’s opinion. 

And that is another thing Kevin was nervous about. His boyfriends. Jean. His boyfriends meeting Jean. Jean meeting his boyfriends. Kevin is weirdly worried about Jean’s reaction. Will he be weird about it? Judgemental? He can’t really imagine that, but it has been four years. People change. Maybe he won’t even care. Maybe it will make things worse. Just another reminder of the life Kevin chose to have, the life Jean never got a chance at. 

“Kevin.” Aaron’s voice pulls Keivn from his spiraling thoughts, and he starts a little. “Calm down,” he says, pressing a hand to Kevin’s leg, which he belatedly realizes he has been bouncing frantically. 

“Sorry,” Keivn says, willing his leg to still. “God, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I just- I can’t wait for Seth to get home, but that means Jean will be with him too and as much as I want to see him too I… I’m so worried I’m gonna fuck this up. Again,” he adds in a whisper. 

Aaron twists sharply so he’s facing Kevin, a hard look in his eyes. “Kevin, no. Stop it. Look at me. Look at me, Kevin.” He waits until Kevin meets his eyes before continuing. “You will not fuck anything up. You did your part. You helped him get out. Whatever happens now, we’re all here for you, okay? I love you. Seth loves you. Wymack loves you. The rest of the Foxes love you too, but not as much as Seth and I. I know meeting Jean again and making up with him means a lot to you and you want it to go well. I want that for you too. But even if it doesn’t, we’ll get through it. You are so strong, baby. And Seth and I are here to be strong for you when you can’t.”

Kevin nods after a while, eyes slightly watery but grateful. Aaron smiles at him, that small tender smile reserved solely for Kevin and Seth, and Kevin feels something within him losen, just a little bit. He leans forward, intent on kissing Aaron until he forgets how much longer they have to wait for Seth and who is coming with him and when the last time he saw Jean was and what his reaction will be, but before their lips touch-

“Gross,” says a voice from the doorway, shattering the moment and yanking Kevin’s attention. He whips his head around so fast he almost knocks into Aaron’s face, but he nimbly ducks out of the way. 

“How long have you been standing there?” Aaron asks, glaring at Andrew, who leans casually in the doorway. 

“Long enough,” Andrew replies, sounding bored. “Just for the record, I don’t love Kevin. I barely tolerate his presence more than most people.”

Aaron rolls his eyes. “That’s basically a marriage proposal, coming from you. Stay away from my boyfriend.”

Now Andrew rolls his eyes. “I don’t want him. No offence, Day.”

“None taken, Minyard. I don’t want you either.”

Aaron scowls, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “My last name’s Minyard too, you know.”

“Minyard in reference to you is completely different than Minyard in reference to Andrew,” Kevin says.

“I agree,” Neil says, his head suddenly popping out from the opposite side of the doorway. “‘Minyard’ for Aaron means ‘asshole,’ but ‘Minyard’ for Andrew means… well, also ‘asshole,’ but like, with affection.” He grins cheekily at Andrew, who retaliates by hip checking Neil hard enough to push him out of the doorframe. 

“Exactly,” Kevin says, pointing in the direction of Neil’s disembodied laugh, “but the opposite of what he said.” 

“Good to know you two are on the same page about these things,” Andrew says dryly. 

Aaron snorts. “What are you two doing here, anyway?”

Andrew raises an eyebrow. “We’re here for the party. The welcome home party, that is. Heard Seth should be home any minute with our new friends. I’m sure the rest of the Foxes will be in shortly. You know we can’t resist when there’s a hint of drama in the air.” 

“Andrew, you wound me,” Allison says, stepping into the room. “As if I would only come here for the drama.”

“Right?” Nicky says, close on her heels. “Obviously we’re here to welcome Seth back. It’s like he doesn’t even know us.”

Andrew rolls his eyes again. “Why are there no sane people in here?” 

“I’m right behind you Andrew,” says Renee as she joins the ever growing crowd in the room. 

Andrew looks at Renee as if he has never seen anything more disappointing in his life, and that’s really saying something considering the amount of times he’s watched Neil fall off of his horse whilst trying to imitate something that Matt did, thus requiring him to stand and pretend that he’s tall. “Renee, I really don’t think you can call yourself sane if you voluntarily came here today, which I know you did, because you don’t do anything you don't want to.”

“Well, that may be,” she says, a sly smile spreading over her face. “But you’re here too, so what does that say about you?”

“I never said I was sane,” Andrew says. “I’m dating this idiot, so really that was my first mistake.”

“Hey!” Neil says, pausing his conversation with Allison. They continue to bicker, and somehow, amidst all the chaos, Kevin feels calm, for the first time all day. Maybe it’s the everyday normality of all the Foxes together, arguing over stupid things, or maybe it’s just the fact that he’s surrounded by his friends and family, but Kevin isn’t going to complain. 

Of course, his calm is quickly shattered by the sound of thundering hoof beats coming towards the house. Kevin springs out of the chair, very nearly dumping Aaron on the ground, and runs to the door only to stop short of actually opening it. “I can’t do it,” he says. “Somebody else look, I can’t do it.” 

Before anyone can say or do anything, the door flies open and Seth barrels into the room. “Kevin!” He shouts, spotting Kevin by the door and sweeping him into a hug. “Aaron,” He yells again when a significantly smaller body slams into theirs. Soon they’re all hugging and laughing and kissing, and somehow they’ve melted into a pile on the floor. Kevin feels wetness on his cheeks and realizes with a start that he’s crying for some reason. 

“Baby, shh, don’t cry,” Seth says, wiping away Kevin’s tears. 

“Oh, god,” Kevin says. “I don’t… is Jean…” 

“He’s coming. He and Jeremy and Dan were just a little ways behind me, they should be here any minute.” 

Aaron loops an arm around Kevin’s waist and laces his fingers with Seth’s. “Are all three of them on the same horse?”

“Oh, no,” Seth laughs. “I won one in the jousting tournament, so Jean and Jeremy got to share and Dan and I got our own.”

“Damn,” Aaron says, drawing out the word. “I can’t believe you won a whole horse in a jousting match, where you were facing real, actually trained knights.”

Kevin leans his head against Seth’s shoulder and says, “You’re amazing, babe.”

“I know,” Seth says with a grin. The sound of distant trotting shatters the peace yet again. Seth rubs a soothing hand on Kevin’s arm. “Are you ready for this.”

“No,” Keivn whispers. He’s shaking, he thinks. He can’t tell for sure. Also, he might throw up. 

“You can do this Kevin,” Seth says. “You are so strong and brave, and fuck anyone who thinks otherwise. We’ll be right behind you the whole time. Just say the word and Aaron and I will fuck him up.”

“Seth,” Aaron mutters, a gentle warning in his tone.

“Okay, okay. But you know we won’t hesitate to beat the shit out of him if he hurts you, right?”

Kevin gives a watery laugh and nods.

“Good,” Seth says, “because here they come.”

They hear the horses stop outside and voices talking. Kevin’s heart is beating so fast, he’s nearly certain that it’s going to just give out and he’ll keel over and die any second now. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. What was Kevin thinking? As if bringing Jean here to meet him after  _ four years _ was smart. He’s an idiot. Of course Jean is going to be angry. He’s going to be so beyond angry, Kevin can’t even think of a word to describe it. 

But still, he had to get Jean out, or at least give him the option to get out. He owes Jean that much at least. He’s been trying to get this to work for almost four years, and it’s only just now all come together. So no matter how furious Jean is with him, Kevin can take it, because at least he knows he did what he could. 

And there’s really not much he could do to stop it now, because they’re already here. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Kevin’s alive! 
> 
> Also I really like the idea of Seth and Kevin and Aaron together??? I know it’s kind of ooc but I don’t really care, they’re all assholes and somehow they’ve become my favorite characters and I just love them ok?


	15. Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ~reunion~

The last stretch of riding after Seth leaves takes far too long in Jean’s opinion. The house looked so close, and yet, it still took them nearly twenty minutes of riding till they got there. 

When they finally reach the house, Jean notices a tall boy with dreadlocks and a big grin leaning up against the wall of the stable. “Matt!” Dan cries, sliding off her horse and giving him a hug.

“Dan,” he replies, picking her up and spinning her in a small circle. Jean rolls his eyes. Another couple they’re going to have to deal with. “Everything went well, I take it,” he says, glancing in Jean and Jeremy’s direction. 

“About as well as expected,” Dan says, “with just a few minor adjustments.”

“If by ‘minor adjustment’ you meant the fact that you knocked us out, then yes, that would probably be accurate,” Jean grumbles as he climbs off the horse. He holds out a hand to help Jeremy off, just because it’s the nice thing to do and Jeremy is a prince and deserves to be treated as such. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Jean wants Jeremy to hold his hand or anything like that. That would be ridiculous.

“Damn, you knocked them out? Harsh, Dan,” Matt chuckles, taking the horses and putting them into stalls. There were no saddles on them, which makes putting them up a lot easier. 

Dan shruggs, obviously feeling no remorse. “We were in a hurry and Seth was too slow. I improvised.” 

“As you should,” Matt nods. “I’m Matt, by the way. You must be Prince Jeremy.”

“Just Jeremy is fine. I feel like it’s weird for my kidnappers to refer to me with proper titles.”

Matt laughs. “Alright then, Jeremy. And you’re Jean. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“From who?” Jean asks. Now he’s annoyed. Who is this mysterious person who wants to see and is telling people about him? He doesn’t talk to anyone outside of Evermore, and even then he could probably count on one hand the people he would willingly communicate with. It just doesn’t make sense that anyone outside of the castle would know him. 

Matt just grins. “I guess you’ll have to find out,” he says, gesturing towards the front door of the house. 

Jean rolls his eyes and marches towards the door. He pauses before opening it, glancing at Matt with a raised eyebrow. Matt nods encouragingly, so Jean takes a deep breath and pushes the door open.

Immediately, he wishes that he could go back in time two seconds and never open the door, never see who was waiting for him behind it. He can feel the blood drain out of his face as he stands there. It’s like he's seen a ghost, because he kind of has. The man standing before him has been dead for four years.

“Jean,” Kevin says, taking a step towards him. 

“No,” Jean says, taking a step back. He vaguely acknowledges that there are other people in the room, but they all pale in comparison to his long lost friend. “No. I can’t… you can’t…  _ Kevin.  _ You should be dead. I thought you were dead.” His voice catches on the last word, and Jean hates himself a little for feeling hurt. Betrayed. Deceived. Really, for feeling anything at all.

“Jean, please-”

“How are you still alive?” Jean asks, interrupting him. “How… what… why did you leave me?” His voice comes out small and fragile and Jean hates it.

“Please, Jean, just let me explain,” Kevin begs, taking another step closer. 

“No, Kevin,” Jean says. “You lost the right to talk to me when you died four years ago.”

“Jean-”

“No,” Jean says, walking backwards. “I can’t do this right now.” He turns and walks away without any real destination in his mind, as long as he isn’t where Kevin is.

He’s dimly aware that Matt and Jeremy are following him, but he doesn't care. After walking for an indeterminable amount of time, Jean stops, waiting for the other two to catch up. 

“Hey man,” Matt says. “You okay?”

Jean laughs mirthlessly. “Not really, no. I just… I can’t deal with Kevin right now. I just want to go to sleep.”

“We can make that happen,” Matt says. “There’s another door in the back, we can go through that way so you don’t have to see him. We have a room ready for you, but, uhh… well, there’s only one extra room here, so you’re going to have to share, and there’s only one bed. So…”

“You can take the bed,” Jeremy says quickly. “I’ll be fine on the floor.”

“What? No,” Jean says, “Jeremy, you’re royalty. I can sleep on the floor. I don’t care.”   


“But Jean-”

“Um, hate to interrupt, but it is a fairly large bed. I mean, you could probably share.”

Jean glances at Jeremy, who shrugs. “I mean, I don’t mind sharing, if that’s okay with you that is,” Jeremy says haltingly. 

“That’s fine,” Jean says, because he likes to torture himself. All he needs is to sleep in the same bed as the attractive young prince he’s kind of sort of been flirting with while he’s emotionally unstable. There couldn’t possibly be anything wrong with that. 

“Perfect,” Matt says. “Alright, if you follow me back to the house, I’ll get you set up.”

“Thank you, Matt,” Jeremy says. They walk the rest of the way in silence and Matt sneeks them in through the back door. The room he takes them into is fairly small and sparsely decorated, with nothing more than a queen sized bed and a dresser. 

Matt rubs his neck as they look around. “It’s not much, especially compared to that you're probably used to, but-”

“It’s fine,” Jean says. God, he’s so tired. He just wants to go to sleep so he can ignore all of his problems until the morning. 

“Right,” Matt says awkwardly. “Well, goodnight, I guess. Um, just because I feel like this has to be said, don’t try to escape. Please. That would make our job so much more difficult. Also, your room will be monitored, so it probably won’t even work. Yeah, just… stay here, okay?”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Jeremy promises. 

“Right, okay. Well, good night.”

“Good night Matt. Thank you.”

Jean is infinitely grateful for Jeremy’s presence at the moment, as it saves him from having to be polite and interact with people himself. Unfortunately once Matt makes his escape, Jean is the only one left for Jeremy to talk to. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He asks, as they both take their shoes off. 

“Talk about what?” Jean asks, hoping Jeremy will just drop it. There’s two sets of night clothes sitting on the dresser. Jean grabs one without really looking at it. He hopes it’s the right size. 

Jeremy, of course, does not drop it. “Anything,” he says, grabbing the other clothes. “Kidnappings. Kevin. The fact that Kevin is alive and wanted to kidnap you.”

“No, there’s not really anything in all of that that I want to talk about.”

Jeremy sighs. “Okay. That’s fine, if you really don’t want to. I just think maybe it would help you, you know, better understand what you’re feeling or whatever. Help you decide if you want to talk to him.”

“I don’t,” Jean says without thinking.

“But how can you know? Maybe you should hear him out, listen to his side of the story. I’m not saying that you should immediately forgive him and run back into his arms like nothing happened, but, I don’t know, aren’t you even a little bit curious? Don’t you at least owe it to your past friendship to hear his explanation?”

“Should he have owed it to me to tell me he wasn’t dead? Shouldn’t he have tried to bring me with him, or at least sent me a fucking message like ‘hey Jean, just so you know, I made it out and I’m still alive’ because that’s just common decency? Don’t I deserve that?”

“Of course you do,” Jeremy says. “But it’s too late for that now. You can’t control what Kevin already did, but you can control what you chose to do now.” 

Jean sighs. “Maybe I will listen to him. Because I don’t understand why… I just don’t understand. Anything.” 

Jeremy smiles. “Hopefully he can help clear things up for you.”

“Yeah,” Jean says, climbing into bed. Jeremy gets in beside him, leaving another body’s worth of space between them. Jean is both grateful and disappointed at the distance. “Good night Jeremy.”

“Good night Jean.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just gonna pepper in the fact that amidst the trauma, there was only one bed :)


	16. Alvarez

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Laila/Alvarez to bless your day

Alvarez wakes to soft kisses being peppered all over her face, which, as far as ways to wake up go, certainly isn’t the worst.

“Morning,” she mumbles, eyes still closed. She’s not entirely sure she’s ready to wake up yet, but if she has to, she may as well be getting kissed. 

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Laila whispers, her breath warm against the tender skin of Alvarez’s ear. She presses another lingering kiss there and Alvarez can’t help the small smile that spreads across her face. Laila’s lips move up, trailing a line of kisses across her forehead and tracing the curve of her brow. She makes her way to Alvarez’s still closed eyes, gently kissing each of them before moving down to the tip of her nose. Alvarez waits impatiently for Laila’s lips to reach their final destination, but they never do. 

Annoyed, Alvarez cracks an eye open and glares at her girlfriend. “You missed a spot.”

“I don’t know what you could possibly mean,” Laila says, batting her eyelashes innocently.

With a low growl, Alvarez rolls over so that she’s on top of Laila, pressing her down into the mattress below them. Laila grins breathlessly, eyes wide with excitement and surprise. Alvarezis quite thoroughly sick and tired of waiting, and she leans down, firmly capturing Laila’s lips with her own, nipping lightly at her bottom lip in retaliation for making her wait. 

What starts as nearly aggressive quickly softens into something slower, sweeter, more intimate. Laila’s hands snake up Alvarez’s sides, wrapping around her waist, and Alvarez melts into the touch. She could stay like this all day, lost in Laila’s touch, drunk on her kisses, but unfortunately, they are there for a reason and they have a job to do.

Pulling themselves apart takes more effort than should really be necessary, but they manage, and with only a few more distractions, they are dressed and ready to face the swarming hordes of collected nobility assembled below them. Or at least, as ready as one ever is for such a thing. 

“Have you seen Jeremy recently?” Laila asks as they enter the dinning hall and take their seats at the table. 

“Not since last night when he went off with the guard,” Alvarez says, spreading butter on a slice of bread. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“I know, I’m just worried. It’s been a long time.”

“Maybe he stayed up late last night,” Alvarez says, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Laila laughs and pushes her face away. “I don’t see the guard around here anywhere either. They’re probably just sleeping in.”

“You’re right. He’s probably fine. I hope he comes down soon though, I want to leave as soon as possible.”

“Same.” Alvarez shoves the pisces of bread in her mouth, brushing crumbs off her hands. “The sooner we get out of this place and back home, the better in my opinion.”

“Excuse me,” says a young Evermore knight. “But have either of you seen Prince Jeremy or Sir Jean anywhere lately?”

“We were just talking about that,” Alvarez laughs. “We haven’t seen them since last night. My guess is that they’re still sleeping. Jeremy either wakes up super early or he sleeps like the dead till noon, there’s no in between.”

“Well, that’s just the thing, Ma’am,” the boy says. “All the rooms have been cleared, and no one has seen them anywhere.”

Laila is instantly on alert. “Are you sure? You’re positive that all the rooms have been checked?”

“Twice,” the boy says. 

“Did you check through the ballroom? And the courtyard? And the stables?”

The boy nods. “There are people there right now.”

“Okay,” Laila says. “Thank you for letting us know. Sara, let’s go, we’ve got to help them look.”

“Oh, come on, do they really need our help? I’m sure they’re around here somewhere and they just fell asleep in some random place. What are we really going to do?”

“Help speed the process along?”

“Ugh, okay fine.”

“When we find him,” Laila says, “I am going to tell him you didn’t want to help look for him.”

Alvarez shrugs. “He won’t be surprised.”

“Uhh,” says the boy, “We also need to consider the possibility that they may have been, uh, kidnapped.”

“Oh good lord,” Laila mutters. “Please no. Please for the love of all that is holy, I specifically told him  _ not  _ to get kidnaped.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think telling people to not get kidnapped is actually a good way to prevent it from happening. Thanks for telling us,” Alvarez says, turning back to the boy. “We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for them.”

He nods and wanders off. 

“Do you want to start in the courtyard? Or-” 

“They aren’t here,” Laila interrupts. 

“Laila, how can you know that?”

“I just do. Somebody took them. I can feel it, Sara.”

“Okay, so, what do we do now?” 

“Excuse me,” Laila says, dragging the boy back. “Is there anyone else not here that was here last night?”

“Well, no one else is missing,” he says. “Seth Gordon, the one who won the first jousting match, he left last night to go out of town to his family’s house out in the country, but besides him, everyone is accounted for.”

“Thank you,” Laila says, grabbing Alvarez’s arm and dragging her towards the door.

“Hey, I can walk, you know,” Alvarez complains, prying her arm out of Laila’s grasp. “Where are we going, exactly?”

“To the stables. We’re going to give Seth Gordon a little visit.”

“Seth Gordon. You think Seth Gordon kidnapped Jeremy and Jean?”

“I don’t know for sure, but right now, it’s the only lead we have, and doing anything is better than standing around doing nothing.”

“Right. Okay. Next question: how are we going to find his house?”

“There was a map in the knights training room that had everyone’s hometown on it and the names of all the people who lived there. Seth’s was way out in the country, all by itself. I remember vaguely enough where it was, so I should be able to get us pretty close. I don’t think there’s much else out there, so we should be able to find it fairly easy after that.”

Alvarez shrugs. “Sounds solid enough to me. Also, have I told you recently that you’re amazing? Because you’re really fucking amazing.”

“I know,” Laila says with a grin, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “Now let’s go find Jeremy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Laila is the smartest and I love her. 
> 
> Also because I am very stupid I forgot to post the second art piece when I was supposed to so if you go back to chapter 13 it should be there now XD


	17. Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jean and Kevin have The Talk

Jean wakes up with an arm curled around his waist, which is not an altogether unfamiliar way to wake up. What is unfamiliar is the bed that he’s sleeping on and the bright sunlight streaming through the window. Also, the arm that is wrapped around him. Jean shifts slightly and is met with the face of none other than Jermey Knox, and quite suddenly, everything comes rushing back to him. 

Knox. The kidnapping. Kevin. Right. 

Jean takes a brief moment to enjoy the feeling of Jeremy’s arm pressed against his waist, the heat coming from Jeremy’s chest which is flush to Jean’s back, the way Jeremy’s breath tickles the back of Jean’s neck. 

Eventually though, Jean pulls himself away. He dresses as quietly as possible so that he doesn’t wake Jeremy and heads out of the room, hoping he can find Kevin quickly. If Jean doesn’t talk to him soon, he’ll probably lose his nerve and it will never happen. 

After a brief moment of indecision on where to go, Jean hears a rustling sound coming from the kitchen and wanders in that direction, where he sees a man cooking eggs who is, unfortunately, not Kevin. He tries to sneak back out of the room unnoticed, but it seems that the world is against him. A loose board creaks under his foot and the man whirls around, a huge grin on his face.

“Oh, hello there!” He says. “I’m Nicky. Which one are you?”

“Uh, I’m Jean.”

“Jean, wow pleasure to meet you. You know, Kevin told us so much about you, but he failed to mention that you were absolutely gorgeous.”

“Um, thank you?” Jean wishes he had stayed in bed with Jeremy. Well, he’s here now, may as well try to make the best of it. “Speaking of Kevin, have you seen him around here anywhere recently?”

“Oh no,” Nicky says. “Kevin probably won’t be up for another two hours at least, probably more since Seth just got home, you know, I’m sure they stayed up late last night.” Nicky winks and Jean shifts uncomfortably. 

“Well then, I guess I’ll just go-”

“No you can’t go yet! You haven’t met everybody yet! Matt’s a pushover and let you sneak through the back, but I won’t let you get away so easy!” 

“Lucky me,” Jean deadpans. “If I have to meet everyone, then should I just go get Jeremy up so we can do introductions once and be done with it?”

“Yes, that's a great idea! But don’t run away. You have to come back,” Nicky says, waving the spatula at him threateningly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere,” Jean says, stepping out of the room. 

He hates to wake Jeremy when he looks so peaceful, but he refuses to do this on his own. Plus, Jeremy would probably be sad if he missed meeting everyone or if Jean got to meet people first. 

“Jeremy,” he says softly, nudging Jeremy’s shoulder. “Jeremy wake up. Please.”

Jeremy’s eyes crack open and he peers at Jean blearily. “G’morning, Jean,” he says, voice rough and low.

“Good morning, Jeremy,” Jean says, unable to keep the note of fondness from seeping into his voice.

“What time is it,” Jeremy asks, rubbing his eyes. “Looks late. I don’t normally sleep this late.”

Jean shrugs. “I have no idea what time it is, but please come and save me. I am being forced to interact with people and socialize and I refuse to do it by myself.”

Jeremy laughs at him, which Jean is willing to forgive only because it’s early and Jeremy’s brain is probably not fully functioning yet. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Jeremy’s laugh is downright musical and he looks positively angelic laying in bed with the sun shining on him.

“I’ll be out in a second, just let me get dressed,” Jeremy says, pulling himself up. Jean nods and heads back out of the room. With nowhere else to go, he makes his way back to the kitchen. 

“Welcome back,” Nicky says cheerfully, putting eggs on a plate. “Prince charming coming soon?”

Jean nods and Nicky thankfully leaves it at that. Jeremy joins him soon after, and he and Nicky strike up a conversation about the best way to cook egg, which Jean only absentmindedly listens to. 

Nicky brings plates to the table and shouts, “Breakfast is ready!” In no time, people are pouring in from all sides, joining him and Jeremy at the table without a second glance. 

“Guys, I would like you to meet our guests of honor,” Nicky says, gesturing to Jean and Jeremy. “Jean and Jeremy!” Quite suddenly, nine pairs of eyes are on them and Jean could not feel more uncomfortable. “You already know Matt and Dan and Seth,” Nicky continues, pointing around the table, “and this is Aaron and Renee and Andrew and Neil and Allison.”

Jean is certain that he will not remember any of their names in two minutes, but Jeremy is nodding along excitedly, smiling at all of them. “Hi, everyone,” he says, when Nicky finally finishes listing off names. 

Good mornings are exchanged and Jeremy is quick to join in the conversation, somehow talking to everyone all at the same time. The gathered people ask questions and tell stories and Jeremy is quite a willing participant in the whole thing. Jean responds when absolutely necessary and not a single second more. 

Soon the conversation derails and Jeremy ends up in a heated debate with one of the short blond ones and the redhead about the difference between fruits and vegetables. Jean honestly can’t follow their points and he thinks they all change opinions and stances at least once, but Jeremy seems to be enjoying himself. 

At some point, Jean makes eye contact with a brunette girl with a serene smile and a mischievous glint in her eyes. Like him, she's leaning back, watching the chaos unfold. She rolls her eyes and he nods in agreement, thinking that she very well may be the only person he could actually get along with here. 

After several minutes of this, there is a distant bang of a door slamming open and Kevin stumbles into the room. 

“Morning, baby. You’re up early,” Seth says, but Jean is hardly listening.

Jean stands abruptly, almost knocking his chait over in the process. “Kevin,” he says. “We need to talk.” 

Silence falls over the group. “Um, Jean, yes,” Kevin mumbels. “Right now?”

“Now,” Jean says, his voice hard. 

“Okay. Follow me, I guess.” Kevin shoots a worried glance around the room, settling on Seth and the other short blond one. They give him what Jean assumes are supposed to be encouraging gestures and wave him on. Before Jean can leave, another hand slips into his and gives him a gentle squeeze. He looks down to see Jeremy looking back, nodding encouragingly. Jean nods back and, after squeezing Jeremy’s hand himself, pulls away and follows Kevin.

“Um, we’ll just go… out here,” Kevin says, leading Jean outside.

The door closes behind Jean and Kevin starts talking. “Jean, it’s so good to see you. I missed you. I-”

Jean holds up a hand, cutting him off. “You have ten minutes. Talk.”

“I- ten minutes? That’s not very long-”

Jean gestures to his wrist. “Time is ticking,” he says. He is really not in the mood to wait. He’s hardly in the mood to listen to Keivn at all. He hopes Kevin realizes how lucky he is that Jeremy was there last night to talk some sense into Jean. 

“Alright,” Kevin says, swallowing. “Okay. Well, four years ago, I was snooping around in Ichirou’s library, looking for something interesting because I was bored, and I happened upon a letter. A letter to me. From my mother. Kayleigh Day.” 

Jean can feel his eyes widen, but he forces his expression back to neutral. 

Kevin continues, “In the letter, she talked about how she was dying but she was giving me and the kingdom to the Moriyama’s for safekeeping until I was old enough to rule on my own. She also mentioned my father and where to find him if I ever needed him. Obviously, I thought that could be our ticket out. That was always the biggest problem with our escape plans you know, not having anywhere to go after our initial break. But now that was no longer an issue. 

“So I took the letter and I was getting ready to go show you but I was so excited, I forgot to check the hallway before I left and I ran into Ichirou as I was leaving. Of course, he immediately saw what I had and tried to snatch the letter away from me, but I managed to keep it. He must have decided it didn’t matter that much, because he was going to have me killed anyway. 

“He left me in there with some guards and eventually came back with Riko. He said something like ‘you know what to do’ and then left. Riko looked so sad Jean, it was awful, and you know how much Riko hates to be sad, so then he was just pissed off. 

“He beat me up pretty bad, broke my hand, but he couldn’t kill me. I’m still not really sure what stopped him. But he looked at me, a crying, bleeding, broken mess on the floor, and he was like ‘take him away from here’ and he left too. 

“I was barely conscious at this point, so the guards loaded me up and carted me away to who knows where. They dumped me on the ground and just kinda stood there, staring at me. They had a whole conversation that I barely comprehended, but they basically decided not to kill me and to just let me bleed out from my wounds. Lucky for me, Aaron was passing by on his way to Wymack’s, that’s my dad, which was exactly where I needed to go. He took me with him and he and Abby, my dad’s wife, were able to fix me up, more or less. 

“Jean, I promise you that the only thing I wanted to do when I got better was get you out, but they wouldn’t let me. They didn't want me to be anywhere near Evermore. To be completely honest, I was also terrified of going back, so it didn’t take much dissuading on their part to keep me here. I just- god Jean, I was so scared that if I went back, Riko would find me and make me stay, or have me killed for good. 

“I know it’s cowardly of me, but I was willing to let them talk me out of going. They all wanted to help you too, though. But these past few years have been crazy, and our resources have been spread too thin to really be of any use to you. It wasn’t until we got news of the ball that we had any real opportunity to get in and get you out unnoticed, and getting Jeremy as well was just an added bonus.” 

Kevin pauses for a minute and takes a breath. “I know what I did was wrong and it hurt you, and there’s nothing I can do to fix it. But I never forgot about you. Getting you out was always my top priority. If-” his voice breaks and he looks down. “If you never forgive me, I would understand. But please,  _ please  _ just tell me you won’t go back. You don’t ever have to see me again if you don’t want to, but please don’t go back to him.”

Jean feels like his heart is being split in two. The boy from his past, his best friend, the boy who  _ left _ , now asking Jean to leave, to say goodbye to the boy of his present, his future, the only constant in his life, the only person who has always been there. “I… don't know if I can,” Jean says haltingly. “Kevin, he’s all I have left. And I’m all he has.”

“Jean, forget about him! He’s an abusive asshole, he doesn’t deserve your concern. Think about yourself, Jean, what’s best for you. And… you’ve got me, if you’ll have me. If you’ll let me be there for you. And all of the foxes. And Jeremy too.” 

“I don’t know, Kevin. I just… I don’t know.” Jean couldn’t think about leaving Evermore. His only home. Not now. But he could think about Kevin. “What I do know is that you need to go back to Evermore.”

That, apparently, renders Kevin speechless. He stares at Jean with his mouth gaping open, unable to form words. 

“Kevin, you are the heir to the Lost Kingdom, the Moriyama’s biggest land holding. You can’t just sit here and not do anything about it,” Jean says. “The throne is rightfully yours. You need to take it back.”

“No, Jean. I can’t-”

“You can. You can, I know you can. Jeremy and I can go back with you, and you can bring your boyfriends too, I’m sure they’d come for moral support. Riko won’t kill you, you already know that much. And if you come with enough people and do it publicly enough, you know Ichirou can’t hurt you either.”

“I don’t know if I can do it,” Kevin whispers.

“You need to take a stand, Kevin. You can’t let them hold you back forever. Didn’t you just tell me to think about what was best for me? Is being afraid, hiding, ignoring your birthright, is that really what’s best for you, Kevin?”

Their eyes meet in a fierce staring contest of sorts, four years of lost contact doing nothing to diminish their ability to communicate without words. 

Jean places a hand on Kevin’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. “It’s time to take back your kingdom.”

Kevin looks back, his eyes shining. “Yeah. Yeah it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Queen Kevin Day for the win


	18. Riko

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is near! Shorter chapter rn, especially compared to the last one, but have some Riko.

“He is gone, Your Majesty.” Riko has spent all morning looking for Jean, scouring all parts of the castle from top to button, inside and out, which is really not what he had been planning on doing. He’s more than a little upset about it, but it doesn’t matter, because Ichirou is also upset about it. How Ichirou feels has always trumped Riko’s feelings. Which is fine. He’s used to it. That’s just the way things go, the hierarchy of the world. It just sucks, sometimes. 

“That is very interesting,” Ichirou says, leaning back on his throne. "How, I wonder, could we lose both the crown prince of a kingdom I am trying to build an alliance with, and the knight sworn to protect you, especially since you were supposed to be watching him? I gave Jean to you as a gift, one nice thing that you could have for your own, and you lost it. How could you lose a whole person, Riko? Obviously Tetsuji and I were right to not entrust you with a battalion of soldiers. Do you really think you could lead hundreds of troops if you can’t even keep track of one person? The way I see it, this is your fault. If you had done your job and kept an eye on your pet like I asked you to, he never would have disappeared and I would be in a meeting with that stupid little Knox princeling instead of you. You are a disappointment to The Family.”

Riko lowered his head, feeling Ichirou’s words sinking into his skin, weighing him down. Of course he had to fuck this up. This ball was pretty much his only chance to impress Ichirou, and now it’s turned into Riko’s worst nightmare. “Please, Ichirou, Your Majesty, let me go after them. Let me right this. Please, I can fix it. I’ll find them. I know I will.”

Ichirou stared at him for a minute, and Riko wondered if he was going to get killed for interrupting. He’s known Ichirou to kill for less.

“You best hope you find them before my men do,” Ichirou said eventually. Something in Riko lifts slightly. He thinks it maybe feels like relief. “Because if my men get to them first, things will not go over well for your pet. Or you.”

Riko swallows and nods. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Do not ruin this any more than you already have. Come back with the princeling and your pet, or do not bother coming back at all.”

He makes it sound like RIko will have a choice, like if he doesn’t find them, he will still have the opportunity to return but he should not. But Riko can read between the lines and he knows a threat when he hears one. If he should fail, he will not be returning to the palace. Ever. Ichirou’s men will make sure of it.

Right. This is fine. He can do this. Riko has been training for years with the most elite soldiers, the best of the best. Surely it won’t be that hard to track down a wayward prince and a lost knight. 

He turns to make sure Jean is behind him as he leaves before remembering that that’s the whole reason he’s in this mess, and continues on to the stables on his own. Which is… weird. Riko can’t remember the last time he went anywhere truly alone. 

Mounting his horse, which has already been prepared for him, Riko rides off towards the woods in the distance. He saw tracks leading to and from there that look fairly recent, and he doesn’t remember anyone coming or going there. It seems like a good enough place to start. 

He rides through the woods as quickly as he can without going too fast so as to miss any obvious signs of a struggle or escape or even just a kidnapping in general, which is a difficult, delicate balance. After a while, he comes to a fork in the path. Neither way looks to have any fresh tracks, so he takes a guess and goes to the left, praying to anyone who might be listening for a little luck, just once in his life. He rides until the path becomes essentially nonexistent, too taken over by underbrush and weeds to be passable anymore. Obviously this path hasn’t been used in a while. This is why he doesn’t pray. 

“Shit,” he curses to himself. He doesn’t have time for this. Time is of the essence, and Riko has a very real deadline looming over him if he should fail. Emphasis on dead. 

Frustrated, Riko wheels his horse around and heads back to the fork. When he gets back, he sees new tracks leading away from the woods and back towards Evermore. For some reason, Riko has a feeling that Jean and Jeremy are with whoever it is that went that direction, which really doesn't make sense unless someone else found them, or maybe they escaped somehow? He hesitates for a moment at the crossroads, debating whether or not he should trust his instincts or play it safe and check down the other path.

He shakes his head at himself. He’s a good soldier  _ because _ he trusts his instincts. There’s no use doubting them now, when they really matter. Riko turns his horse back to Evermore and urges her into a gallop, hoping he’s not too late to reach them before they beat him there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only two more left!


	19. Kevin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kevin and the gang return to Evermore

Kevin has been shaking since he told everyone what he planned to do. As is to be expected, his announcement went over with mixed responses. Seth and Aaron are adamantly against it, Neil and Andrew quite equally passionate for the opposite. The rest of them fall somewhere in between, but there is no talking Kevin out of it now. Jean was right. It is well past time he faces his past and takes back his birthright.

“Kevin, are you sure this is what you want?” Aaron asks for what must be the fifth time as they saddle their horses. 

“I’m positive. Aaron, I have to. If I do this, maybe the stupid land feude will finally end. Think of how many lives I could save.”

“Or you could lose yours,” Seth grumbles. 

“That’s what I have you for,” Kevin says, trying not to betray how much Seth’s statement scares him. 

Before they can say anything else, two horses burst through the clearing bearing women dressed in red and gold. They pull to a stop in front of Aaron, Seth, and Kevin, kicking up a cloud of dust in their wake. 

“You there,” says the one on the right. “Seth Gordon. Were you responsible for the kidnapping of Jeremy Knox and Jean Moreau?”

Kevin blinks. He didn’t think anyone would figure it out this quickly. They had figured that people would guess it eventually, but they were banking on having a little more time.

“Now why would you ask that?” Seth asks, avoiding the question. 

“Well,” the other girl says, “because I see them both right there.” She points to where Jeremy is running out the front door, Jean following at a significantly more subdued pace. 

“Laila! Alvarez! What are you guys doing here?” Jeremy asks, running up to them. 

Seth rubs a hand over his eyes. “I thought I told you to stay inside.”

“Yeah, well, I told him not to get kidnapped,” says the girl on the left. “Obviously he’s not very good at listening.”

“Hey,” Jeremy says. “I’m perfectly good at listening when I want to be. And we’re only kind of kidnapped. They promised we’d be returned soon. We’re actually getting ready to leave right now.”

“If you were planning on returning them, then why kidnap them in the first place?”

“Oh we aren’t planning on returning Jean.” Seth says. “We aren’t going to force him to stay, of course, but if he’d rather not go back to Evermore, he has a place here. Jeremy we just needed to keep away from Ichirou for a little bit so he didn’t make any stupid decisions.”

“Well, that’s valid.”

“Alvarez!” Jeremy says. “What are you trying to say?”

“That you’re kind of stupid sometimes.”

“Rude,” Jeremy mutters under his breath. 

“Well, we’re actually planning on going back to Evermore now,” Kevin says. He’s not really sure what’s going on, but they need to focus. If they don’t leave soon, Kevin’s going to chicken out and end up hiding in his room for the rest of eternity. Which Aaron and Seth would probably be fans of, as the significantly increases his odds of survival past twenty-five, but Kevin can’t think about that right now. He has a job to do.

“What for?” Laila asks.

“Well, I, uh-”

“This is Kevin Day,” Jeremy interrupts. Kevin isn’t even mad, Jeremy will be better at saying it anyway. “He’s the son of Kayleigh Day, heir to the Lost Kingdom. He’s gonna go back to Evermore to take it back from the Moriyama’s!”

Laila and Alvarez laugh, stopping when no one else joins in. “Wait a minute, are you serious?” Alvarez asks. 

“Completely.”

“Oh. Wow. Okay then. I thought he died?” 

“Didn’t we all,” Jean says, and Kevin cringes. 

“Hey, not to rush this,” Kevin says, “but we’re losing daylight if we want to go, we need to leave now.” That’s definitely an exaggeration and they all know it, as it is barely past noon. But no one says anything about it and Kevin clings to his excuse, desperate to just get the whole ordeal over with.

“Right,” Aaron says. “Okay, let’s go.” 

They all mount up and head down the path, Laila and Alvarez following along behind them. The ride passes in relative silence, or at least Kevin thinks it does. He really couldn’t be sure. If there is much talking, he doesn’t notice. He’s far too busy panicking. 

Eventually though, they make it to the gates of Evermore, which looks just as terrifying as Kevin remembered it. “I don’t think I can do this,” Kevin says. 

“Should have thought about that before we rode all the way here,” Seth grumbles. 

“Stop it,” Aaron says, smacking his arm. “Yes you can Kevin. Trust yourself. Trust us. You can do this.”

“No, I really don’t think I can.”

“Yes, you can. Kevin. You are strong. You are brave. We’ll be right behind you the whole time. You’ve already ‘died’ twice and lived, surely you’ll last a little while longer,” Aaron says.

“Right. Okay. Let’s go.”

Aaron and Seth nod and follow behind Kevin, who is led by Laila, Alvarez, Jeremy and Jean. They weave through the castle, heading straight to Ichirou’s throne room. They push the doors open without waiting to be announced, and Kevin can hear Ichirou sputtering at their insolence. He quiets when he realizes who exactly it is that has joined them. Kevin doesn’t think Ichirou’s seen him yet, for which he’s grateful. He’s more than happy to keep hiding in the back for the time being. 

“I see you’ve found our missing persons,” Ichirou says. “Congratulations are in order, I suppose. Guards, send word to the other knights that the boys have been found. And locate Riko. You know what to do.”

As if summoned by his words, the door bangs open for a second time and a red faced Riko bursts through, panting. “Ichirou,” he gasps. “No, wait. I was right there, right behind them. If only the Knox guards hadn’t gotten there first I would have-”

“But you didn’t.” Ichirou cuts him off, leaning forward slightly. “I warned you what the punishment would be if you weren’t the one to find them and you returned, and yet here you are. Come to plead for your life, Riko? If so, I’m afraid it’s too little too late for that.”

“No,” Riko pleads, walking forward. “Please, Ichirou, I’ll do anything. I- Kevin?”

Kevin cringes away at the sound of Riko’s voice saying his name. Of course Riko had to glance over right when he was passing by, of course he had to notice Kevin. And now Ichirou sees him too. 

“How are you possibly still alive?” Ichirou asks. “I’m quite certain that I had you killed. Am I mistaken, Riko, or did I ask you to kill him?”

“You- you did Your Majesty, but I-”

“Yet another one of your failures, coming to light, Riko. Honestly, are you incapable of following simple instructions? Now I’m going to have to do your job for you, and you know how I hate doing dirty work.” Ichirou rises, hand floating to the sword at his hip. Kevin knows that Ichirou has deadly aim and he could probably throw his sword from across the room and pierce Kevin’s heart before Kevin even had time to blink. Unfortunately for Ichirou but fortunately for the rest of them, all the commotion has drawn a crowd, and it would really shed a bad light on the Moriyama’s if he were to murder someone in coldblood right after the return of the missing prince and knight. The crowd also gives Kevin exactly what he needs to do what he came to do. 

“Wait,” he calls, feeling vaguely like this might be the end of the line for him and stepping to the front of the group. His whole body is shaking, but when he speaks, his voice comes out clear. “My name is Kevin Day. My mother was Kayleigh Day, queen of the Lost Kingdom. When my mother died, she entrusted both me and her kingdom to the Moriyama’s to watch over until I was ready to rule. Instead, they faked my death as a baby, and then tried to have me killed four years ago when I learned the truth. But I’ve come back now. I’m here to claim my birthright and take back my kingdom.”

“Do you have any proof of your story, boy?” Ichirou sneers. 

“This letter is from my mother, written the day she died,” Kevin says, pulling the letter from his pocket. 

“Someone call for Tetsuji,” Ichirou says. “He is the only one who knew Kayleigh, therefore he will be our judge.”

Tetsuji is fetched and the situation explained. He takes the letter from Kevin and studies it for a minute. Before he answers, he flicks a glance between Riko and Ichirou. Kevin holds his breath. He’s honestly not sure where Tetsuji’s loyalties lay. Riko has been basically his son since birth, but Ichirou is his king. 

“Well,” Tetsuji says after a pause, “this letter does appear to be to be written by Kayleigh. It’s certainly her handwriting, and it has her seal, which was burned with her body when she died. And this boy, he shares a very striking resemblance to Kayleigh. He has her eyes. Yes, I would say that this is, in fact, Kevin Day, son of Kayleigh Day and heir to the throne of the Lost Kingdom.”

“Are you quite certain, Tetsuji?” Ichirou asks, an obvious warning slipping into his tone. 

Tetsuji doesn’t even look at Ichirou, instead turning his gaze to Riko. “Yes. Yes, I am quite certain. Everyone, we must celebrate the return of the Day heir!” The crowd around them cheers, masking whatever Tetsuji says to Riko. 

Kevin feels quite certain he’s going to pass out, whether from relief or fear he can’t be sure. His name echoes off the walls of the throne room as hundreds of strangers cheer for his return.

Ichirou is outraged. He leaps from his throne and storms down the steps towards Kevin, drawing his sword. The crowd is screaming, rushing to the edges of the room. Someone tries to pull Kevin away, but his feet feel rooted to the floor. Kevin braces himself for the inevitable blow as Ichirou snarls, “Why, you insolent little-”

“No,” Riko says, stepping in front of Kevin. “I won’t let you kill him.”

“Get out of my way Riko,” Ichirou spits.

“No,” Riko says.

“You dare defy orders from your king?”

This makes Riko hesitate for a brief second, but he squares his shoulders. “If your orders are to kill the rightful heir to the throne of our sister kingdom, then yes. Yes, I defy your orders.”

Ichirou lets out an enraged scream and charges towards Riko, sword raised. Kevin isn’t sure what’s happening but he finally allows the hands grabbing at him to pull him out of the way, stumbling backwards into Seth and Aaron. 

Riko pulls out his own sword and in two quick strokes, Ichirou’s head had been neatly removed from his body. It’s no secret that Riko is the better swordsman of the two, yet he stands there in shock, looking at the body before him. By now, most of the crowd has vacated the room, and those that are left are hurrying to do the same.

Kevin stares too, but not at Ichirou. At Riko. Riko protected him from Ichirou. Kevin is having a hard time processing it all. He knows without a doubt he would have died without Riko’s interference. What he can’t understand is why Riko did it.

“It doesn’t matter why it happened baby,” Seth whispers in his ear, as if he can read Kevin’s mind. “Only that it did. You cheated death yet again, and now, you have a kingdom to run. Your Majesty.”

Kevin lets out a watery laugh. “Please, never call me that again. You either,” he says, pointing at Aaron.

“Whatever you say, love,” Aaron agrees. “Now when can we get out of here?”

Kevin smiles. “Whenever we want. I am a king now, you know.” He feels a little faint saying it outloud, but it’s strangely liberating. 

“Yes you are,” Seth says, planting a kiss on Kevin’s forehead. 

From across the room, Kevin catches Jean’s eye. Kevin smiles at him and after a second, Jean smiles back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	20. Jean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of Ichirou’s death and Jean says goodbye to Evermore. 
> 
> This chapter was originally really short but I just added like 400 words cuz I felt like it was too rushed so like some if this is unbetaed, if there are any mistakes I apologize.

“Well,” Alvarez says, looking at Ichirou’s body distastefully. “This has been fun. Let’s never do it again. Now if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to go home. Jeremy?”

“Yeah, just a minute. Jean, would you, um, would you want to come with us?” Jeremy asks, looking uncertain. 

Jean looks back at him in shock. He had thought Jeremy was kidding when he mentioned it on their ride to Evermore, but he seems serious enough now. For just a second, Jean allows himself to imagine leaving with Jeremy, living a life free of the Family and Riko’s touch. And then he glances back at Riko, who’s still staring at Ichirou, taking in the guilt and joy warring across his face, and Jean is torn. “Jeremy, I-”

His words seem to snap Riko out of his trance. “No. You can’t leave, Jean. You belong to me, remember? I own you. You are in my service for life. That was the price your parent’s paid for their debt to the Family.”

“How much was the debt?” Jermey asks without a pause. 

Riko’s eyes snap to him. “What?”

“How much was the debt? How much would I need to pay to set Jean free?”

Jean shakes his head. “No Jeremy, you don’t-”

“I’ll pay it,” Kevin says, stepping forward. “What if I pay you in land, Riko? You get a tenth of the Lost Kingdom’s territory in exchange for Jean’s freedom?”

Riko narrows his eyes at Kevin. “A fourth,” he says.

“An eighth,” Kevin counters.

“A sixth.”

“A seventh.”

Riko hesitates, mulling over the number. “Deal,” he says, sticking out his hand. Kevin reluctantly takes it and they shake on it. 

“Thank you, by the way,” Kevin adds reluctantly. “For saving my life. Twice.”

“Don’t,” Riko says, holding up a hand to keep Kevin from saying any more. “I did what I had to.”

“Killing me would have been easier,” Kevin argues. Jean isn’t sure why he’s arguing about it, no matter how curious he is. He feels like maybe Kevin should just stop while he’s ahead and not push his luck. It’s not too late for Riko to change his mind and kill him where he stands. 

“Killing you would have been impossible,” Riko snarls. It’s the truth and they all know it, and nothing has made Riko more angry than the vulnerability of telling the truth. “If either of you ever had the chance,” he says lowly, “would you be able to kill me?”

Kevin opens his mouth to answer but closes it slowly. Jean says nothing. Of course they couldn’t kill him. The three of them are far too entangled to ever be the ones to end another's life. But there’s too much pain, too much blood, too much history between them for them to ever truly heal or be whole so long as they’re together. The best thing they can all do now is try their best to live their lives apart. 

Riko nods, seemingly satisfied with their silence, and walks off to talk to Tetsuji. 

“Why did you do that,” Jean asks when Kevin walks away. “Why did you pay my debt?”

“It was the very least I could do. Seriously, Jean, I owe you your freedom. And what am I going to do with all that land?” he says with a slight grin. “I’ve lived just fine my whole life without it.I think it’ll end up causing me more harm than good in the long run.”

Jean nods ruefully. “I’m sure it will.”

Kevin’s smile fades slightly. “Hey, um, are… are we okay?”

Jean shrugs. “I don’t know, Kevin. But… I think we might be.”   


“Yeah?” Jean can hear the hopeful lift in Kevin’s voice, see it shining in his eyes.

“Yeah,” he says. He hopes that one day, he can hug Kevin like he did back when they were brothers, but for now, he settles with a nod. “Good luck running a country.”

“Kevin, let’s go!” Aaron shouts, standing with Seth in the doorway. 

Kevin nods. “Thanks, I’m sure I’m gonna need it. I’ll see you around, Jean.”

And then Kevin’s gone again, only this time it isn’t for good. Jean still hasn’t completely forgiven Kevin for everything that happened, but he knows what it’s like to live without Kevin in his life and he doesn’t like it. 

_ Someday _ , he thinks,  _ someday, they’ll be okay. _

“Hey,” Jeremy says, coming up to Jean after Kevin leaves. 

“Hey,” Jean says back.

“Listen, um, I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable or something earlier, or that wasn’t what you wanted. I just wanted to-”

“No, Jeremy, it’s okay,” Jean says, cutting him off. “It’s just… I’ve been owned by someone almost my whole life. It’s not that I didn’t want to be free, I just feel like if you paid my debt, then I’d be in debt to you.”

“No, that makes sense,” Jeremy says. “But it’s okay, because Kevin got you out. You really are free now.”

“I’m free,” Jean echos in a whisper, relishing the way the words feel on his lips. 

“Do you, uh, do you have any plans for your life now that you can choose what to do and where to go?”

“Well,” Jean says, feeling suddenly bold. “A handsome young prince once told me that if I ever needed a place to stay, his palace would be open for me. Do you think that offer is still in the air?”

“Yes!” Jeremy practically screams. “Yes, of course that is totally, completely, obviously still in the air. If you want it to be. I would be thrilled for you to come back with me. I’m sure my parents would love to meet you.”

“Really?” Jean asks. He knows he’s not really an expert on these things, but he feels like it’s a little early to meet the parents. Then again, if he’s literally going to be staying in their palace, it would probably be hard to avoid. 

“Really,” Jeremy says. 

“Okay, well, I guess I’ll go get my stuff. It won’t take me long; I don’t have much.”

Jeremy nods. “We’ll be out front with the horses.”

Jean makes his way back to the Nest for the last time, a bittersweet feeling inside him. As happy as he is to be free of this place and these people and all of the pain and memories that come with it, Evermore has been his home for as long as he can remember. The fact that he’s really leaving feels like a dream. 

He makes it to his room and packs a bag with all his things. It takes even less time than he thought. There just isn’t much that’s really his in here. Some clothes and shoes, a few drawings, a couple of extra pieces of paper and some stubby pencils, and he’s finished. With one last look around the room that served as both his sanctuary and his cage, he turns to go, starting when he sees someone in the doorway. 

“Riko,” he says, holding on to his bag tighter. 

“Jean,” Riko says. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you stay.” Jean relaxes slightly. “I just wanted to say goodbye, I guess.” 

“Goodbye,” Jean says curtly. He just wants to get out of here, before he wakes up and realizes that none of this is real. Riko nods, taking Jean’s answer for the dismissal it is, and moves out of the doorway so that Jean can leave.

“Wait, Jean,” Riko says, before Jean can get too far. “I’m… sorry. For a lot of things.”

Jean’s face softens slightly. “Me too,” he says. “I hope you find happiness, Riko. Best of luck as king.”

Riko nods again and turns away. Jean nearly runs the rest of the way to the front doors, suddenly desperate to get outside and on the road. With Jeremy. To Jeremy’s palace. Jean is no longer sure what his future holds, but when he steps outside and sees Jeremy’s face smiling back at him, Jean doesn’t see how it could be bad. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made it! It’s all finished!!! I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it, thank you to anyone who stuck with me this whole time and commented!! And another big thank you Lauravg_20 for being the inspiration do this and providing the beautiful artwork 💕


End file.
